Carbon footprint in Mexico

In our previous article on Carbon Footprint, we explain in detail its meaning, implications and the formula for calculating it. In addition, to name some of the big companies that were making efforts to be Carbon Zero thanks to the measurement of the carbon footprint. In this article, we will talk about the carbon footprint in Mexico and the decarbonization actions in that country.

CO₂ emissions in Mexico

In Mexico's electricity industry, the country is in 109th position in terms of per capita CO2 emissions. The emission of CO₂ is only 0.84 tons per person in Mexico. In terms of generation sources, approximately 29% of electricity comes from renewable sources, while 59% is obtained through the use of gas during the energy transition.

Decarbonization actions in Mexico

• Mexico has a General Law on Climate Change, created in 2012 and amended in 2018, to establish the figure of “Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)” and its commitment to the set of objectives and goals, assumed by Mexico, within the framework of the Paris Agreement, in terms of mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
• In the NDC update, it was estimated that Mexico emitted 804 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) of Greenhouse Gases in 2020, which represented about 1.3% of global emissions. We would have to wait for the final estimate that fully considers the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Mexico established two goals in the mitigation component in its NDC updated to 2020:
  1. Reduce national greenhouse gas emissions by 22% by 2030 in the “unconditioned” case and by 36% in the “conditioned” case.
  2. Reduce black carbon emissions by 52% by 2030 in the “unconditioned” case and by 70% in the “conditioned” case.
• In 2020, and for the next 10 years, transportation activity is, and will continue to be, the sector that produces the most Greenhouse Gases in Mexico, with around a quarter of the total.
• Currently, a proposal for constitutional reform is being discussed in Congress that could lead to prioritizing more polluting means of producing electricity, such as thermoelectric power plants, and that would affect cleaner and more sustainable sources, such as solar and wind power, making it even less likely that Mexico's NDC will be achieved.