Submission

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

The Submitters assert that, by failing to adequately control emissions from motor vehicles in the states of Baja California, Jalisco and Nuevo León, Mexico is failing to effectively enforce various provisions of its environmental law intended to protect air quality and human health. In particular, the Submitters point to failures in the effective enforcement of environmental laws with respect to the design and implementation of sustainable mobility plans; they also note the deficient or non-existent implementation of mandatory vehicle inspection programs.

The Submitters maintain that, as a result, high levels of air pollution associated with automobile use persist in several cities in Mexico —notably Tijuana in Baja California, Guadalajara in Jalisco and Monterrey in Nuevo León —, three of the most densely populated cities in Mexico, where recurrent concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone (O3) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) exceed the limits recommended by the applicable standards.

Names and citations of the environmental laws in question:

The Submitters cite provisions of the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States (Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos); the General Act on Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente) and its Regulation on the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution (Reglamento en Materia de Prevención y Control de la Contaminación de la Atmósfera); and several regulatory standards. They also refer to the Escazú Agreement, as well as to various constitutional and legislative provisions of the states of Baja California, Jalisco and Nuevo León concerning environmental protection, sustainable mobility and vehicle inspection.

Submitter(s):

Colectivo Salud y Justicia Ambiental, Víctimas de la Violencia Vial, Alianza del Aire Nuevo León, ENLACE, Legislación, Ambiente y Sociedad