Ciudad de México, México - Climate Action Plan Energy Projects
Type of initiative: Energy Management and Use
Population: 8.7 M city / 18.6 M metropolitan area
Principal economic activities in Mexico City include trade, financial services, insurance, telecommunications, information technology, and transportation.
According to the Norma Solar, which translates roughly as "Solar Bylaw," all new commercial and industrial buildings that employ more than 50 people are required to install solar water heaters. The heaters must have sufficient capacity to provide at least 30% of the hot water used in the given building.
Ciudad de México, México - Climate Action Plan Energy Projects
Summary
The Environment Secretariat (Secretaria del Medio Ambiente) in Mexico City has developed several strategies to help protect the environment. Among them are the Local Strategy for Climate Action (Estrategía Local de Acción Climática), adopted in 2006, and the 2008-2012 Climate Action Plan (Plan de Acción Climática), to be adopted in the spring of 2008. The first provides general lines and directions in terms of climate action for Mexico City whereas the latter will complement the former by setting tangible goals as well as a timetable for their accomplishment.
Although the Climate Action Plan has yet to be officially adopted, some of the measures included in the plan are already under way. For instance, under the Norma Solar (Solar Bill), the installation of solar water heaters in all new commercial and industrial buildings that employ 51 people or more is required. At least 30% of the hot water used in applicable buildings must be heated by solar energy. Another measure to be included in the Climate Action Plan that has already been initiated is the Environmental Administration System and the closely-linked green procurement policy, adopted in May 2007. The objective is to reduce the environmental impacts associated with municipal activities and to encourage environmental awareness among municipal staff. Some pilot projects related to increasing energy efficiency in residential and public lighting are also currently under way. These initiatives will be integrated into the official Climate Action Plan and will be expanded once the plan comes into force.
As these initiatives are relatively recent, outcomes to date remain limited. However, estimates have been made of the potential environmental outcomes of each initiative, in terms of energy saved and greenhouse gas emissions mitigated per year. By 2012, the different initiatives have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the following amounts: the Norma Solar, 350,000 tons CO2 per year; the Environmental Administration System, 1,133 tons of CO2 per year; the energy efficiency initiatives in the residential sector, 850,000 tons of CO2 per year; and in the public lighting system, 11,000 tons CO2 per year.
Although the energy efficiency projects in the different lighting sectors are not very innovative, as several Mexican cities already have such projects in place, the green procurement policy and the Norma Solar are. In fact, the latter is unique, as no other Latin American city has adopted such a measure to date.
Officials at the Environment Secretariat have identified two major barriers that are impeding the full realization of the energy-related initiatives associated with the Climate Action Plan: (1) the lack of financial resources; and (2) the lack of awareness or knowledge concerning climate change and new energy-related technologies within the municipal corporation and among community stakeholders.
Ciudad de México, México - Climate Action Plan Energy Projects
Municipal Context and BackgroundMexico City is the capital of Mexico. It is located on a high plateau in the Valley of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 meters. It is the country's most important economic, industrial and cultural centre as well as the most populous municipality, having 8.7 million inhabitants according to the 2005 national population count. Mexico City is also known as Mexico DF, or Distrito Federal. Mexico DF is in fact one of 59 municipalities in a large metropolitan area, the Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México (Metropolitan Zone of the Valley of Mexico). In 2005, the Zona Metropolitana had a population of 18.6 million. From 1980 to 2000, Mexico City's economic base shifted from industrial production to the service sector. Today, the City's main industries are trade, financial services, insurance, telecommunications, information technology, and transportation.
In July 2004, Mexico City was host to an international event organized in partnership with ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability), during which cities from around the world presented their initiatives for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Encouraged by the event, Mexico City began developing its own institutional framework related to climate change prevention.
In November 2006, the Climate Action Strategy was published. This document sets the general outline for climate policy in the City. Its eight chapters provide background information on climate change and the Kyoto Protocol, Mexico City's vulnerability to climate change, adaptation measures, mitigation measures, and presents a greenhouse gas inventory1 for the City and the Zona Metropolitana (GDF, 2006a). In the chapters on mitigation measures, the Strategy presents a list of initiatives that were already under way in the City as well as a list of new initiatives to mitigate climate change. Although the Strategy does not set quantitative targets, it did quantify the emission reductions achieved through projects and programs the City already had in place, such as transport programs, a waste separation program, and a reforestation program. Mexico City's administration is the first local government in the country to adopt a policy to combat climate change (GDF, 2006a).
Mexico City is now in the midst of developing a Climate Action Plan, which will complement the 2006 Strategy by laying out a detailed set of measures as well as setting a timetable for their implementation; it is expected that implementation will be completed by 2012. The proposed measures will be divided into six areas of activity: transport, water, waste, education, adaptation, and energy (GDF, 2007d). Finally, the Action Plan will detail the expected cost of implementing each measure and will provide information on potential funding mechanisms, and a provide a roadmap for entering the international carbon market.
In September 2007, all involved stakeholders sat down together to consider the measures to be included in the Action Plan. Presentations from experts and stakeholders were given, workgroups were created, and public consultations were scheduled. Three months later, a second meeting took place; the final document is expected to appear in the spring of 2008. However, the City is not waiting for the Climate Action Plan to be officially enacted to start the work; several programs are already under way.
The office in charge of the Local Strategy for Climate Action, the greenhouse gas inventories and the Climate Action Plan is the Directorate for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism Projects (Dirección de Programa de Cambio Climático y Proyectos MDL), which works under the General Directorate for Policy Planning and Coordination (Dirección General de Planeación y Coordinación de Políticas). The latter is one of the eight general directorates that make up the Environment Secretariat. The Directorate for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism Projects administers the programs and projects included in the Climate Action Plan.
1 The City has produced greenhouse gas inventories for the years 2000, 2002, and 2004. These inventories identify the sectors with the largest greenhouse gas emissions and provide a basis to evaluate the best mitigation options as well as the efficiency of the measures adopted. Together, the inventories helped Mexico City determine which policies and initiatives would integrate the Climate Action Strategy.
Ciudad de México, México - Climate Action Plan Energy Projects
Description of the initiativeOfficials at the Directorate for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism Projects and other experts on climate change consider Mexico City to be very vulnerable to the effects of climate change, given that it has experienced extreme weather events more frequently in recent years. These events have entailed significant changes in temperatures and levels of precipitation and consequences have ranged from droughts to flooding (GDF, 2007b). It is in this context that the Directorate is pushing hard to get a Climate Action Plan under way. Although the plan has not been officially adopted, some of the included measures are already in progress. The measures currently under way include the Norma Solar (Solar Bill), the Environmental Administration System, and energy efficiency measures in residential and public lighting.
In April 2006, the City adopted the Norma Solar (GDF, 2006 b). This initiative, which will be incorporated in the Climate Action Plan, is the first of its kind to be adopted by a local government in Latin America. The Norma Solar requires the installation of solar water heaters in all new commercial and industrial buildings that employ 51 people or more. Some smaller enterprises such as dry cleaners, launderettes, and swimming pools must also comply with the requirements of this new bill. The equipment installed must comply with the technical specifications included in the Norma Solar. The regulation stipulates that at least 30% of the hot water used in affected buildings must be heated by solar energy (GDF, 2007b).
Different stakeholders, such as educational institutions, industrial chambers of commerce, and solar equipment manufacturers were brought together in a working group in order to develop the Norma Solar. Since its adoption, several training workshops have taken place to explain how the technology works and what the Norma requires. These workshops target building owners, planners, and builders – i.e., members of chambers of commerce and commercial associations and of colleges and engineering associations, architects and construction site managers, and officials responsible for issuing construction permits (GDF, 2007b).
Another important initiative that will play a significant role in the Climate Action Plan is the Environmental Administration System.2 This system, which is essentially an energy auditing and green procurement program, is managed by a committee (created in 2001) that serves as a consultation, planning and support body to the Environment Secretariat. The objective of the Environmental Administration System Committee is to reduce the environmental impacts associated with municipal activities and to encourage environmental awareness among municipal staff (GDF, 2006a). Between July 2001 and August 2006, the committee carried out 25 energy audits and 27 lighting audits, as well as several other diagnostics for water, waste, and office supplies in more than 30 municipal buildings (GDF, 2006a). A series of recommendations was generated as a result of these audits. For energy use and lighting, the recommended actions were divided into two general types: those related to energy conservation, such as switching off computers and lights, and those related to investment in new equipment, such as replacing conventional lights with more efficient ones (GDF, 2006a).
To implement the committee's recommendations, the City adopted a bill in 2007 laying out a green procurement policy (GDF, 2007a). The new regulations introduced through the bill stipulate that all government agencies must purchase goods with reduced environmental impacts only. The bill's annexes provide a list of specific goods, along with detailed information on their environmental characteristics, that are allowed to be purchased. The list covers items such as paper, pencils, binders and other office supplies as well as models of fluorescent lights and ballasts, taps, showers, toilets etc. For example, T-8 linear fluorescent lamps and energy-efficient ballasts must now be purchased by all agencies in the municipal government; the purchase of less efficient T-12 lamps and ballasts is no longer permitted (GDF, 2007a).
Two pilot projects related to increasing energy efficiency in residential and street lighting have been under way since 2001.3 According to City officials, these initiatives will also be officially integrated into the Climate Action Plan and will be expanded once the plan comes into force.
In an effort to increase energy efficiency in the residential sector, the Environment Secretariat has produced and distributed a small guide to apartment building managers on environmental best practices. The guide recommends, among other things, the substitution of conventional light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones (GDF, 2006a). The City estimates that in 2001, each household had on average five conventional light bulbs, with only one compact fluorescent bulb in every five households. The City predicts that by 2012, 80% of residential light bulbs will be compact fluorescent (GDF, 2006a).
As for the street lighting network, Mexico City has 345,000 street lamps that consume 283,000 MWh annually (GDF, 2006a). The local government has started installing dimmers and doing repairs and preventive maintenance to reduce energy waste. One specific objective is to install 32,000 energy efficient lamps by 2012 (GDF, 2006a). With the coming into force of the Climate Action Plan and the adoption of the recent green procurement regulations, it is expected that improvements to the public lighting network to accelerate in the near future.
2 This initiative has been in place since 2001. Therefore, it was not developed for the Climate Action Plan. Nonetheless, the adoption of its associated Green Procurement Policy and the new results flowing from its adoption (higher compliance) will be integrated in the Climate Action Plan.
3 These pilot projects started in 2001 hence they were already underway before the Strategy or the Plan was published. They were quantified in the Strategy and will be integrated in the Action Plan under which they are expected to expand.
Ciudad de México, México - Climate Action Plan Energy Projects
Policy ContextThe initiatives described above are only some of the measures that will be included in the Energy Chapter of Mexico City's Climate Action Plan, to be enacted by mid-2008. Several other measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be included in the Climate Action Plan alongside the energy efficiency measures. Other areas of intervention will include transportation, communication and education, adaptation to climate change, waste management, and water (GDF, 2007d).
The Climate Action Plan builds on other municipal policies that relate indirectly to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This includes Mexico City's air quality program called PROAIRE (PROgrama para mejorar la calidad del AIRE), the Transport Program (Programa Integral de Transporte y Vialidad), the Green Plan (Plan Verde) and the Program for Ecological Restoration of Conservation Land (Conservación y Aprovechamiento Sustentable del Suelo de Conservación), to name only a few (GDF, 2006a; GDF, 2007b). Thus, the Climate Action Plan and its measures complement many existing policies, but have a greater focus on greenhouse gas reductions.
The Climate Action Plan is also indirectly supported by an international climate protection framework. Mexico City is member of ICLEI-Mexico, the Mexican branch of an international NGO promoting sustainable local governance.4 ICLEI-Mexico has provided expertise and technical advice, and a network of national and international contacts to the staff at the Environment Secretariat.
4 ICLEI was founded in 1990 as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. The council was established when more than 200 local governments from 43 countries convened at an inaugural conference, the World Congress of Local Governments for a Sustainable Future, at the United Nations in New York.
Ciudad de México, México - Climate Action Plan Energy Projects
Financial Aspects According to City officials, developing the Local Strategy for Climate Action required a team of ten staff members over approximately two years. As for the Climate Action Plan, eight staff members are currently working on its development. Funding for both initiatives comes from the Environment Secretariat and the World Bank. As mentioned above, the oversight of both initiatives is the responsibility of the Directorate for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism Projects, which currently has a staff of eight.
As a major city in a developing country, Mexico City faces severe social and economical challenges that leave its administration with little money for environmental projects. As a result, the Environment Secretariat is constantly looking for external funding in order to implement its programs. The implementation of the projects included in the Climate Action Plan depends crucially on income generated through the Clean Development Mechanism (associated with implementation of the Kyoto Protocol) and various international carbon markets.
International assistance can also take forms other than direct financial aid. Staff at the Directorate for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism Projects report that foreign experts are occasionally sent to work with them in a capacity building context. Staff from the Directorate have also on occasion been invited to participate in international workshops.
Ciudad de México, México - Climate Action Plan Energy Projects
OutcomesThe Norma Solar is a new program and therefore concrete quantifiable results in terms of energy and financial savings are not yet available. However, the Directorate for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism Projects has estimated the likely outcomes from the implementation of some measures.
It is estimated that the Norma Solar has a reduction potential of 350,000 tons CO2 per year and that the payback period for the installation of the solar water heaters is only 1.5 years for swimming pools and approximately three years in the case of sanitation uses (i.e., showers, sinks, kitchens) (GDF, 2007b).
The Environmental Administration System should allow a reduction of 584 tons of CO2 per year by 2012 through energy conservation actions, and 549 tons of CO2 per year through equipment substitution in lighting and other municipal supplies. It is estimated that another 380 MWh per year will be saved through the implementation of the Environmental Administration System (GDF, 2007 b).
The Directorate for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism Projects has calculated that the energy efficiency efforts being undertaken in the residential sector will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 850,000 tons of CO2 per year by 2012. The cumulative reductions between 2001 and 2004 were 570,000 tons of CO2 while between 2005 and 2012, the cumulative reductions are expected to be 4.6 million tons of CO2. In 2001, the energy saved through the substitution of conventional light bulbs in the residential sector with more efficient ones reached almost 53,000 MWh. It is predicted that 1.3 million MWh per year will be saved by 2012 (GDF, 2006a).
Finally, the estimated greenhouse gas reductions due to technological changes in the street lighting system was 3,700 tons of CO2 per year in 2004; in 2012, the reductions should reach 11,000 tons of CO2 per year. The accumulated reduction of greenhouse gas emissions was 9,300 tons of CO2 between 2001 and 2004 and it is estimated that between 2005 and 2012, 65,600 tons of CO2 emissions will be mitigated. In terms of energy, lamp retrofits in the public lighting system will allow over 11,000 MWh per year to be saved (GDF, 2006a).
Ciudad de México, México - Climate Action Plan Energy Projects
Lessons LearnedOfficials at the Directorate for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism Projects have identified two major barriers that are impeding the full implementation of the energy-related initiatives associated with the Climate Action Plan.
The first barrier is limited financial resources. Mexico City faces a number of critical environmental challenges, including the provision of water in sufficient quality and quantity5 and the adequate disposal of solid waste. The precarious economic situation of a major part of the population also means that the municipal government must dedicate much of its budget to social development programs and to health and housing projects. Other important public sectors, such as urban infrastructure and security, also consume a significant portion of the municipal budget (GDF, 2006a). In such a context, little public money is left for energy conservation projects and climate change mitigation programs. The implementation of some of the programs and projects identified in the Local Strategy for Climate Action has been suspended simply due to the lack of funding (GDF, 2006a). For this reason, officials at the Directorate for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism Projects say that efforts to mitigate climate change, including the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, would be impossible without funding obtained through the Clean Development Mechanism.
The second barrier is the lack of awareness or knowledge concerning climate change and new energy-related technologies among community stakeholders. This lack of knowledge hinders the rapid propagation of renewable energy technologies through the wider community according to City officials. For example, when officials at the Directorate for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism Projects meet with commercial building owners or construction companies in order to present the Norma Solar, they are often shocked by the low level of understanding these community stakeholders show concerning the availability of solar technology and its proven benefits. They must work hard to dispel misconceptions and show that solar technology can pay for itself through energy cost savings in as little as three years.
Even within the government, measures to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases are tepidly welcomed by other departments and agencies. Staff at the Directorate for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism Projects still have much work to do to increase receptiveness to and participation in these measures. Staff from the Directorate believe that better coordination between different municipal agencies could help overcome resistance to energy efficiency measures.
Another lesson learned is that voluntary measures may have little impact compared to mandatory regulations that apply across the entire municipal government. Such was the case with the Environmental Administration System. After the many energy, lighting, water, waste and office supply audits were carried out, a set of guidelines to increase efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases was devised. Municipal agencies were expected to apply the guidelines voluntarily. However, the committee responsible quickly realized its recommendations were not being followed. In response, the City adopted its green procurement regulations, which mandated that all municipal departments follow the guidelines set by the Environmental Administration System committee. The result is that compliance is increasing considerably. The case of the Norma Solar was similar; it was adopted as a regulation because voluntary compliance was too low.
Another advantage of enacting change through regulations, say some City officials, is that they will tend to persist through the years and survive changes of administration. This particular aspect is especially relevant for the rest of Mexico, where municipal administrations change every three years; in Mexico City, the municipal administrations change every six years.
With the exception of the Norma Solar, the initiatives undertaken in Mexico City could be emulated in any North American municipal setting. The main prerequisites appear to be a certain amount of political will and environmental awareness among municipal staff. The Norma Solar water heater program, however, may only be worth emulating in municipalities with tropical or sub-tropical climates; the efficiency of solar water heaters may be too low in colder climates to justify mandatory installation. Mexico City's methods for financing its energy efficiency initiatives can only be replicated in other Mexican cities; funding opportunities through the Clean Development Mechanism are reserved for developing countries and thus inaccessible for US and Canadian municipalities.
5 As much as 29.4% of the Zona Metropolitana inhabitants don't have drinking water in their homes (GDF, 2006a).
Ciudad de México, México - Climate Action Plan Energy Projects
Next StepsThe energy-related initiatives presented above are only part of the City's program to mitigate climate change. Several other projects have been identified and are in the early stages of development. Among them is a biogas combustion project (for electricity generation) at the Bordo Poniente landfill (GDF, 2007b); an expansion of the Metrobus system;6 an update of the program to restrict the use of old vehicles, introducing tighter restrictions;7 and a city-wide awareness program to increase bicycle use (GDF, 2006a). Many of the City's future initiatives are focused on the transportation sector, which is not surprising given that this sector consumes more energy and emits more greenhouse gases than any other sector in the City (CIE-UNAM, 2007).
In June 2007, Mexico City created the Commission for Efficient Energy Use (Comisión de uso Eficiente de Energía), a body independent from the Environment Secretariat that reports directly to the Chief Administrative Officer for Mexico City. This body is in charge of promoting the use of renewable energies within the City, conducting research, as well as formulating, coordinating, and evaluating different energy efficiency policies. The commission is designed to provide a longer-term vision and ensure the permanence of energy efficiency projects, despite changes in administration (del Valle Cárdenas, 2008).
6 Metrobus is a bus rapid transit system that runs on dedicated lanes and features subway-like stations, with entry through turnstiles and vehicle boarding through elevated platforms. The Metrobus is seen as a cost-effective alternative to expanding the City's underground metro train system.
7 A program established in 1989 that requires vehicles to stay off the road once a week, depending on their age and emissions profile.
Ciudad de México, México - Climate Action Plan Energy Projects
Sources, Documents and Web ResourcesInterviews
Vázquez Martínez, Oscar Alejandro
Director – Programa de Cambio Climático y Proyectos MDL
Secretaria de Medio Ambiente
Ciudad de Mexico
+ 52 (55) 5345 8190 x 321
ovazquez@dgpa.df.gob.mx
del Valle Cárdenas, Beatriz
Chief Coordinator - Proyectos adscrito a la DCCPMDL
Secretaria de Medio Ambiente
Ciudad de Mexico
+ 52 (55) 5345 8190 x 321
bvalle@dgpa.df.gob.mx
Manzini Poli, Fabio Luigi, Doctor
Researcher
Centro de Investigación en Energía
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México
+52 (777) 362 0090 x 29704
fmp@cie.unam.mx
Documents
Web Resources
Disclaimer
The information contained herein is the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the CEC, or the governments of Canada, Mexico or the United States of America.
The material herein may be reproduced without seeking permission, provided that it is accurately reproduced, is not used for commercial purposes, and includes an acknowledgement of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.
Reproduction of this website in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes may be made without special permission from the CEC Secretariat, provided acknowledgment of the source is made.
Credits
Photo of cover: www.carinasaur.com
Photo of Aguascalientes : J.J. Figueroa
Photo of Boulder : Debra Bush
Photo of Burlington : Nino H Photography
Photo of Eugene : Erik R. Bishoff
Photo of Louisville : Peter Dedina
Photo of Mexico : Pier Bover
Photo of Monterrey : J. Luis López
Photo of Montreal : Frank Slack
Photo of Municipio de Centro : Daniel Zollinger
Photo of New York and Toronto : Carina Saur
Photo of Saint John : Joey Tanny
Photo of Whistler : Greg Herringer
