The Culture of Peace, Climate Change

We are in the fight for our lives and we are losing the battle.

Antonio Guterres

The soccer world cup has started, which allows millions of people to be distracted from the daily problems and conflicts that afflict them. Both those of an individual nature, as well as family, neighborhood, community and any other type.

However, there are some problems that should not be forgotten, such is the case of climate change that, for its management and solution, requires the conscious and responsible participation of everyone on the planet, in the country, in each community, in each family and individually.

Let’s keep in mind that no country escapes global warming. Its effects are increasingly extreme and devastating: a greater number of hurricanes, aggressive thaws, droughts, violent fires out of season are some of the consequences of the incessant and destructive human activity.

Global warming is the result of increasing pollution and overexploitation of natural resources and involves a considerable increase in the temperature of the planet progressively both at the atmospheric level, as well as in the seas and oceans, which causes summers to be increasingly hotter and harsher winters, average temperatures last for a shorter time and agricultural production is reduced.

Since the beginning of industrialization, the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has skyrocketed.

The burning of solid fossil fuels such as coal; liquid fuels such as petroleum, gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and kerosene, and gaseous fuels such as natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas are the main reason for the increase in CO2 emissions. Its excessive emissions into the atmosphere have triggered air pollution, global warming and ocean acidification. Only China, the United States, Japan and Russia together emit 58% of the world’s CO2, they are the countries that pollute the most.

While it is true that Mexico emits only 1.2% of the world’s CO2, it is also true that our emissions are increasing every time. In fact, our government seems to have no interest or conscience in protecting the environment. Indeed:

• Pemex continues to burn large amounts of natural gas;
• The CFE, fossil fuels to generate electricity;
• The construction of solar plants to generate energy, recently announced, will be conditioned, according to what the president has expressed, to their ownership being the CFE;
• The Energy Regulatory Commission applies greater restrictions for the development of new clean energy generation projects by private investors;
• During the current administration, Mexico has dropped to site 63, among 107 countries, in the classification of attractiveness for clean energy among emerging countries. In 2018 we were in eighth position;
• The construction of the Mayan Train causes devastation and ecocide with the destruction of the jungle and the fauna that lives there, in addition to causing the contamination of the underground waters of the Yucatan peninsula, and
• Deforestation is advancing, since 2020 we have lost more than 300,000 hectares of trees in our territory.

In addition, the energy policy of the Mexican government of the 4T, which is in violation of the TMEC, has led to tension with the United States and Canada, which can translate into sanctions against our country.

During the 27th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 27) in 2022, which was just held from November 6 to 18 of this year in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, our Foreign Secretary announced a new government plan to reduce carbon emissions by 2030, he indicated that the goal will be to reduce carbon emissions from 35 to 22 percent. To achieve this, he indicated, the electric power generation capacity from renewable sources will be doubled and the production of electric vehicles in Mexico will be stimulated, among other measures. This announcement was very well received by the international environmental community, including the Greenpeace organization, an organization that warned on its official website that it will promptly follow up on Mexico’s commitments.

The announcement of our chancellor at the aforementioned COP 27 signifies a hope that represents a change in the direction of current government policy. However, at this time the achievement of the proposed goals is questionable, since the policies applied by the government, for four years, go in the opposite direction of what has been proposed, which has caused Mexico to heat up above the global average.

It is essential to indicate how, for example, the reduction in the production of dirty energies will be carried out and how they will be replaced by clean energies; The new public policy on environmental matters, its plans and specific projects that indicate measures, participants, indicators, budget and times, among other elements, must also be disseminated.

Let’s not forget that we live on a beautiful planet that keeps us traveling permanently in the cosmos with its own rotation and translation, as well as the interstellar movement of the solar system and the galaxy. That planet is our home and we are destroying it.

We have shown that we can leave behind the apathy that has characterized us, as was demonstrated in the marches on Sunday the 13th. Today we must unite to act in solidarity and protect our lives and those of our descendants by preventing further contamination and deterioration of our environment.

Let us not allow the advance of warming either in the national territory or in our social fabric.

* Lawyer, negotiator and mediator

phmergoldd@anmediacion.com.mx

Twitter @Phmergoldd