Mexico vows to accelerate its climate goals after John Kerry visit

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 19 (EFE) – The Mexican government on Tuesday promised to accelerate its climate goals after the visit of John Kerry, the United States’ special climate envoy, the day before.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has announced that Mexico will present a report on updated environmental commitments at the upcoming United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, starting November 1.

“It was a good meeting, we agreed that (Foreign Minister) Marcelo Ebrard is tasked with preparing a proposal with the commitments that Mexico will formally present at the Climate Change Summit,” the president said at his morning press conference.

Kerry visited southeastern Mexico on Monday to monitor the Simbrando Vida programme, in which 1 million hectares have been reforested by supporting more than half a million people, according to the government.

Neither the Secretary of State nor the President has clarified whether the United States has promised to support the extension of the program in Central America, as Lopez Obrador intends with the argument of mitigating the wave of immigration facing the region.

“What is the point? Mexico and the United States will work together to accelerate the contributions we can make to reduce methane emissions, to meet all the goals we have set for ourselves.”

The Minister of Foreign Relations announced Mexico’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 22% and carbon emissions by 51%.

Although he did not specify a date for achieving the goals, he emphasized that Lopez Obrador “did not want the pledges in the very long term” because they “only end with political statements”.

“The president has agreed by 2022 that he will even be able to expand the goals, based on the seriousness, and I am insisting not to set goals that align with other governments, but to start now,” the secretary of state said.

During the visit, Kerry praised Mexico’s reforestation plan, but called on the country to shift its economy toward “zero emissions” of carbon dioxide by betting on wind and solar power.

Ebrard explained that “Mexico will participate with the United States” in the green economy, because the outcome of the meeting is “convergence, agreement, sharing of goals and objectives”, although “each one according to his capabilities.” “

“Mexico and the United States will also see how we can develop new initiatives together and also fund or find the right financing for what the green economy will be,” he explained.

Earlier, at the same conference, Lopez Obrador again defended his electricity reform, through which he intends to limit private sector participation in electricity generation to 46% and strengthen the Federal Electricity Authority (CFE), abolish wind and solar power plants for private plants. . EFE

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