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The US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord did not go over well with its southern neighbor, Mexico.
Now, experts in the Latin American nation fear a bilateral environmental agreement could be in jeopardy under the Trump administration.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said his country will maintain its commitment to stopping the effects of global climate change, despite the US decision to pull out of the Paris accord. Environmental experts in Mexico say that given the border tensions between the two countries, the challenges are enormous.
“We have different cooperation projects regarding environmental policies with the US, but we think since Trump became president, those efforts will be at risk,” said Gonzalo Peon, with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.
That risk may jeopardize the bi-national Border Environment Cooperation Commission, created in 1994 as part of the NAFTA agreement to preserve and protect the environment along the US-Mexico border. The project was established to implement environmental strategies 30 kilometers north and south of the border aimed at improving air quality, energy efficiency, and water waste.
Regardless of what happens to NAFTA, which Trump once called “the worst trade deal ever,” Mexico City is doing its part to reduce gas emissions in public transportation by renovating its bus fleet with eco-friendly metro-buses.
The Mexican government’s climate strategy involves several long term goals. Over the next 10 years, officials are looking to significantly reduce so-called short-lived climate pollutants, which exist for a relatively brief time in the atmosphere, but contribute to global warming and pollution.
It’s hoped that by 2037, Mexico’s economy will not depend on the use of fossil fuels. Also, in 40 years, there will be a 50 percent reduction of emissions when compared to the year 2000.
The challenges are enormous for the approximate 21 million people living in the Mexico City. Despite the US pullout from the Paris accord, environmental advocates in Mexico are pushing for worldwide urban action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
(CGTN)