Mexico Climate Week - Day 2: Cooperation and Measurement Key to Tackling Super Pollutants

Mexico City, 7 October 2026 – During the second day of Mexico Climate Week, representatives from the federal government, subnational governments, international organizations, research institutions, and the private sector highlighted that multi-stakeholder collaboration, robust emissions measurement, and the recognition of health and development co-benefits are essential to accelerating the mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) in Mexico.

The panel, “Securing Health and Environmental Benefits Through the Mitigation of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants in Mexico,” brought together Enrique Lendo, UNEP Project Coordinator in Mexico; Francisco Barnes, Executive Director of the World Resources Institute (WRI) Mexico; Abraham Ortinez, Director General of the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC); Xochitl Ramírez, Head of the Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resilience Unit at Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER); Julia Álvarez Icaza, Secretary of Environment of Mexico City; and Daniela Jaime González, Planning and Evaluation Manager for Energy Efficiency at the Energy Saving Trust Fund (FIDE).

Opening the discussion, Enrique Lendo emphasized the importance of collaboration between governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector to address climate challenges and advance action on SLCPs.

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Bridging Air Quality and Climate Action

During his remarks, Abraham Ortinez highlighted Mexico’s longstanding efforts to connect air quality and climate change agendas, a process supported for years by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).

“At first, it was difficult to identify the benefits of addressing these agendas together. Today, we know that the benefits of mitigating short-lived climate pollutants are enormous,” he said.

Ortinez noted that Mexico became the first country to include a specific black carbon reduction target in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), committing to a 51% reduction. He also stressed that measures such as transport electrification deliver multiple benefits by reducing both greenhouse gas emissions and harmful air pollutants.

Transportation, residential energy use, and agriculture remain priority sectors for mitigation efforts. He added that Mexico’s new NDC 3.0 will be accompanied by an assessment of co-benefits to better quantify the positive impacts of these actions.

Regarding the residential sector, Ortinez underscored that the continued use of firewood for cooking remains a major health challenge, particularly for women, who face disproportionate exposure to indoor air pollution.

Agriculture: The Importance of Measuring Methane

Xochitl Ramírez stressed the need to strengthen emissions quantification in order to design effective mitigation strategies.

She explained that agriculture is Mexico’s third-largest methane-emitting sector and noted that, with support from the CCAC, the country established a national methane emissions baseline that takes into account different livestock production systems.

According to current assessments, the main sources of methane emissions are enteric fermentation and manure management. As a result, the sector is advancing methane mitigation targets and continuing the development of a national biodigester inventory to identify opportunities for emissions reductions.

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Advancing Circularity in Mexico City’s Waste Sector

Waste management was another central topic of the discussion. Julia Álvarez Icaza described the scale of the challenge, noting that Mexico generates approximately 140,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day, with around 14,000 tonnes generated in Mexico City alone.

The capital accounts for roughly 10% of the country’s waste generation and, together with the neighboring State of Mexico, produces nearly 30% of the national total.

Álvarez explained that the city’s top priority is strengthening source separation, particularly for organic waste, which represents nearly half of both the volume and weight of municipal waste streams.

“Without source separation, there is no circularity,” she emphasized.

Since January 2026, Mexico City has significantly expanded efforts to separate waste into three categories: organic waste, recyclable inorganic waste, and non-recyclable inorganic waste.

She also highlighted the modernization of the Bordo Poniente composting facility, where MXN 140 million has been invested in new equipment to increase organic waste recovery. As a result of these efforts, the city has achieved a 45% increase in waste separation rates over the past six months.

Opportunities in Oil, Gas, and Energy Efficiency

From the energy sector perspective, Francisco Barnes emphasized the significant opportunities to reduce SLCP emissions, particularly methane emissions from oil and gas operations.

Barnes noted that advancing this agenda requires strong coordination across air quality, energy, agriculture, and climate policy frameworks. He also stressed the need to strengthen regulations for both mobile and stationary sources and to improve monitoring of fugitive emissions from oil and gas infrastructure.

“We need to measure in order to know whether we are making progress,” he said.

Progress in the replacement of refrigeration equipment and refrigerant substances

For her part, Daniela Jaime González shared the experience of FIDE in implementing energy efficiency projects that generate economic, social, and environmental benefits.

She explained that FIDE has developed measurement, reporting, and verification systems that provide clear evidence of results while ensuring the proper management of waste generated through the replacement of obsolete equipment, including refrigerants with high global warming potential.

Through financing mechanisms supported by Mexico’s Ministry of Energy, these programs have enabled the replacement of inefficient appliances with high-efficiency technologies while ensuring full traceability and environmentally sound disposal of retired equipment.

Three Key Takeaways

Panelists concluded by identifying three priorities for strengthening action on short-lived climate pollutants in Mexico:

1. Enhancing collaboration among governments, the private sector, civil society, and international organizations to accelerate implementation of mitigation solutions.
2. Improving emissions measurement and monitoring, which are essential for tracking progress and informing effective policies.
3. Highlighting the multiple benefits of SLCP mitigation, including improvements in public health, economic productivity, and access to financing.

The discussion reaffirmed that reducing short-lived climate pollutants represents one of the most immediate opportunities to deliver simultaneous benefits for climate protection, cleaner air, and public health across Mexico.