Mexico

Mexico used to be far advanced in climate legislation. In 2012, it was the first developing country to pass its General Climate Change Framework Law, which determines the basis for climate policy and the responsibilities of the three government levels (national, state and municipal). In 2016, it presented its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and Long-Term Strategy (LTS), which were highly ambitious at the time. 

At the COP 27 in November 2022, Mexico presented the second update of this NDC, in which the country unconditionally pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent (35 percent with the help of agreed support from abroad) and black carbon emissions by 51 percent by 2030 - compared to the business-as-usual scenario. With regard to conditional commitments, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions can be increased up to 40 percent and soot emissions up to 70 percent if more resources are made available for implementation.

According to the Climate Action Tracker (CAT), Mexico's national climate contribution now actually exposes higher emission levels than the 2016 targets and is therefore classified as "critically insufficient". The CAT provides a detailed and clear analysis of the updated NDC, especially of the mitigation component.

At the same time, Mexico is relying on an adaptation component that reflects a better understanding of the country's susceptibility to the impacts of climate change. 

In the negotiations within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Mexico is a pioneer for an ambitious international biodiversity policy. Mexico's National Biodiversity Strategy and Biodiversity Action Plan (NBSAP) have existed since 2016; both documents were developed with the active participation of all government levels. Currently, the documents are to be adapted to the decisions of the COP 15 in Montreal in December 2022 (Global Biodiversity Framework, GBF).

The IKI has been active in Mexico since its inception. Its work in the country focuses on the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation to climate change and the conservation of biodiversity.

In the funding area of mitigation, IKI projects amongst other things support the development of the national Emission Trading System, the first ever in Latin America. 

In the area of biodiversity, approaches are pursued to harmonise the conservation of nature with the sustainable utilisation of resources. In one project, for example, agricultural organisations train micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in biodiverse farming methods and access to finance.

In 2018, Mexico was one of the first countries with which the IKI implemented a Country Call. The country-specific project “Land Use Planning and Innovative Financing to Strengthen the Resilience of Mexico” significantly moves the focus of the IKI portfolio in the country towards adaptation and biodiversity conservation, particularly in the agricultural sector. The kick-off for the main phase took place in July 2023.