Yucatán has become the first state in México to take on the Net Zero Commitment.
The ambitious plan seeks to convert all state government buildings into carbon neutral spaces by the year 2030.
The plan also involves government buildings at the municipal level, but in this case, the date has been pushed back another 20 years, to 2050.
“The challenge here is not only to bring government carbon emissions down to zero but also to motivate and inspire the people of our state to take their own actions,” said state Secretary for economic development, Ernesto Herrar Novelo.
In order to meet the challenge, the state government will have to convert a great amount of its existing infrastructure and invest in the construction of clean energy projects.
Earlier: Yucatán moves forward with two new clean energy projects
Yucatán Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal and Mérida Mayor Renán Barrera Concha have both been extremely vocal in their advocacy of environmental issues.
This is especially true when viewed in contrast with Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has attacked alternative energy sources for being “neo-liberal,” and enacted sweeping legal reforms that favor the use of fossil fuels.
The Net Zero initiative is part of an international movement spearheaded by the World Green Building Council.
By setting ambitious absolute targets, the commitment aims to maximize the chances of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees, and ideally below 1.5 degrees, by drastically reducing operational carbon from buildings.
