In Mexico, the pollution created within cities and by the industrial sector is currently estimated to cost the economy almost seven per cent of its gross domestic product due to the environmental damage it causes. Largely unsustainable consumer behaviour and environmentally unfriendly manufacturing processes are adding on to these environmental bottlenecks. Unhealthy conditions in the cities are affecting the population’s quality of life and scope for development. In the last few years, environmental strategies, policy tools and legal standards have been developed at national level, and to a lesser extent also at federal and local levels. However, environmental management of cities and businesses is still insufficient and fails to encourage a more sustainable production of goods and services and consumer behaviour.
Due to an improved environmental management, cities and businesses in Mexico provide the impetus for sustainable consumption, production and services.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH was commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to work on improving the insufficient environmental management of cities and companies in Mexico. As a result, the consumption and production of goods and services become more sustainable, which then, in turn, protects the environment and increases the opportunities for Mexicans to develop. The programme reflects the Mexican government’s environmental aims that were published in 2013. It functions in three core areas:
- Urban environmental management: Activities are targeting those who directly cause environmental problems at a local level (e.g. local institutions, residents, private stakeholders).
- Environmental governance: Appropriate tools are being developed to create the framework and incentives for Mexico’s ‘green’ development.
- Production of sustainable goods and services: The private sector is being forced to play a major role in ensuring Mexico’s ‘green growth’ by offering a diverse range of sustainable products and environmentally friendly services.
The programme is working with a number of local partners, including:
- The Mexican development agency (AMEXCID)
- The Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)
- The Mexican Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (SEDATU)
- The National Institute for Ecology and Climate Change (INECC)
- The environment ministries of selected Mexican federal states
- Selected city councils
- Mexican chambers of industry and commerce
- Industrial Areas and her representatives