“There is no policy of support from the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), from a policy of refuge, for defenders of nature,” said Jorge Álvarez Máynez, candidate for the presidency of Mexico for the Citizen Movement party, to Causa Natura Media.
This was after Resilient Mexico, a coalition of more than 30 civil society organizations, published the first results of an analysis of the proposals related to the environment of the candidates Claudia Sheinbaum and Xóchitl Gálvez and the candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez, where it was stated that issues such as the protection of land defenders or the impacts on health due to the effects of climate change were having no development compared to axes such as water and energy transition.
Máynez explained to CN Media that his proposal regarding the defense of the territory is focused on creating a protection policy for people who have been raped during the last six years. Noting that the details are found in the New Mexico document, although it only breaks down that there will be better access to justice, mainly for indigenous people.
2022 was positioned as the most violent and the third most lethal year against environmental and territorial defenders in Mexico, according to the Report on the Situation of Individuals and Communities Defending Environmental Human Rights, prepared by the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA). In total, 197 events of aggression (including acts of intimidation, harassment, threats, physical assaults and criminalization) and 24 murders were recorded. Oaxaca and Guerrero, in the south of the country, are the main affected states.
Regarding the issue of health problems linked to the effects of climate change, which has also had no space on the agenda, as reported by Resilient Mexico, the Citizen Movement candidate focused on creating a mechanism to collect and address the effects of climate change.
For example, the respiratory and pollution problems experienced by communities in oil mining regions in Mexico such as Veracruz and Tabasco.
“I think the most important issue in this area is energy because 51% comes from generation, but the great tragedy is that thermoelectric power today costs 6 times more than solar energy. Mexico has more potential for solar energy than for oil. It is not an important country in terms of fossil fuel production, so the transition is the best possible business for the country,” explained the candidate for CN Media.
In Mexico, 64.4% of electricity generation is obtained from conventional and combined-cycle thermoelectric plants that require fossil fuels, according to official figures. This six-year term, thermoelectric power plants have had a share of between 15.7% and 7.2% with estimated expenses of 2.31 pesos per kW/h (kilowatts per hour). The data provided by the candidate are approximate.
These statements were made within the framework of “Presidential Dialogues”, organized by the organization WRI Mexico, with the purpose of allowing candidates for president to sign the Pact for a Sustainable Revolution to commit to developing an economy based on sectors with a low environmental footprint. As well as participating, together with their teams, in dialogue tables with specialists to improve the perspective of socio-environmental problems.
During the first event with Jorge Álvarez Máynez, the Citizens' Movement team listed the list of commitments they have on this issue, including green taxes, funding for climate emergencies, the closure of refineries and investment in public transport.
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