Mérida, Yucatán — A wide-ranging green agenda was announced Monday by the governor, mirroring efforts earlier set in action by the mayor.
One item, a Carbon Management Plan, will measure greenhouse gas emissions generated by hospitals, water treatment plants and other public institutions. The initiative was announced to mark World Environment Day.
And an agreement to conserve 1,000 hectares of jungle and a strategy to promote organic and sustainable production of the Maya milpa was also promised by Gov. Rolando Zapata Bello.
In a meeting held under the slogan “Call of Yucatán Against Climate Change,” Zapata Bello stressed the importance of creating sustainable processes. He also reaffirmed Yucatán’s adherence to the Paris Accord, which U.S. President Donald Trump has abandoned.
The Carbon Management Plan is financed by the British Embassy Prosperity Fund, with technical advice from the Carbon Trust.
The State Water and Sewage Board (Japay) has already installed solar panels at its treatment centers in Altabrisa, Caucel, Pensiones, Fovissste and Graciano Ricalde, which achieve a savings of around 2 million pesos each month.
The agreement to protect the forest, which is in the Puuc Biocultural State Reserve, saves more than 2 million trees and aids honey production, the governor announced.
The state will also monitor its biodiversity using eight trap cameras integrated into the state’s jaguar rescue project. Trap cameras automatically snap photos of animals in the wild, even at night.
To promote organic farming, the state will support the Maya milpa technique that dispenses with chemicals and pesticides. Farmers will work with the Secretariat of Research, Innovation and Higher Education (SIIES).
