Mexico City to implement 7-point environmental plan

Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum has outlined a comprehensive environmental program for the capital.

Presenting the plan on Wednesday, Sheinbaum said the program includes seven areas.

The first involves reforestation of 10mn trees from June this year through November 2020. Trees will be planted across the city and the process will require the participation of authorities and the general public.

A second area includes cleaning up local rivers and water sources. This year, authorities will clean the national canal and the San Buenaventura, Los Remedios, and Santiago rivers. Further locations the current administration vowed to clean up are the Xochimilco canals and the El Salado and Cuautepec regulatory lagoons.

Plans for the third part envision turning the city into a zero waste area. Some measures under this component remain unknown, but the recent congressional approval of a ban on single-use plastics is a good start, Sheinbaum said.

Sustainable water management is the fourth part of the plan, while the fifth involves an integrated and sustainable transport strategy. The sixth part entails the implementation of solar power for some activities, and the seventh is related to improving air quality and addressing climate change.

Sheinbaum‘s environmental contingency plan belongs to a broader effort to tackle climate change and should facilitate emergency measures, such as stricter driving restrictions during high pollution levels, in coordination with Mexico state and the federal government.