Environment, Contempt and Neglect: The Real Threat to Growth

A defining feature of the Fourth Transformation (4T) has been the neglect, regression, and disregard for environmental and sustainability issues, policies, and institutions. This attitude has spread to both public opinion and the business community. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), together with its decentralized agencies, has been severely weakened in budgetary and political terms, while its technical and operational capacities have been systematically eroded. The presidency of the republic has shown little interest in environmental matters and, at times, open contempt for them.

The 4T has pursued, without hesitation, massive clientelist subsidy programs with devastating ecological consequences (such as Sembrando Vida), as well as militarized infrastructure projects with severe environmental impacts. All of this has fostered widespread feelings of powerlessness and indifference throughout society. Opposition political parties have largely ignored the issue. In the absence of regulatory pressure and government leadership, many companies have comfortably followed the same path.

Environmental sustainability has increasingly been displaced by “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) labels, often to the point of absurdity. In other cases, it has been diluted within broad environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies or absorbed into generic corporate compliance and government affairs functions. It is also possible that environmental initiatives now generate diminishing reputational returns and lower risk-reduction benefits for companies once they have addressed their most visible and pressing environmental liabilities. This trend has been reinforced by the substantial weakening of environmental regulation, inspection, and enforcement by both PROFEPA and SEMARNAT.

This environmental regression and neglect also mirror broader multilateral developments. Climate change policy, for example, has become increasingly entangled with ideological considerations that should be extraneous to it, thereby facilitating growing skepticism and campaigns of delegitimization in both the United States and Europe. International foundations have tightened funding for environmental NGOs, while the World Bank itself has scaled back climate-related objectives in some of its programs.

Many environmental organizations in Mexico have become politically aligned with the 4T, broadly supporting the administration and advising it “from within” — a strategy that has proven ineffective but ensures their institutional survival. Former environmental activists and critics have joined the public administration or now concentrate on consulting and government contracting. Others have capitulated, remain silent out of caution or fear, or have simply lost international funding — and perhaps, along with it, their intellectual drive. Very few environmental advocates continue to oppose the regime’s ecological destruction with determination. Political and social checks and balances have eroded, along with the capacity of civil society to serve as a catalyst for environmental policy.

There is no justification for this new order. In the 21st century, environmental sustainability is an essential dimension of economic development, a cornerstone of competitiveness, and an indispensable condition for people’s quality of life. It is also a privileged instrument of soft power and foreign policy.

The regression and abandonment of environmental and sustainability policies are particularly troubling when one considers that, throughout today’s world, these policies reinforce one another and have become inextricably linked to industrial, fiscal, energy, urban development, transportation, infrastructure, land and marine spatial planning, agricultural development, and tourism policies.

Thus, policies promoting the electrification of vehicle fleets are driven not only by climate and air-quality objectives, but also by compelling economic and technological considerations. Likewise, restoring an ambitious energy transition policy is not merely a matter of reducing CO₂ emissions; it is equally critical for attracting nearshoring investment, strengthening energy sovereignty, lowering electricity costs and tariffs, and fostering technological progress.

True energy sovereignty also requires that the oil and gas industry stop flaring, venting, and wasting natural gas — primarily methane — into the atmosphere, where it acts as one of the most potent greenhouse gases.

Urban competitiveness and quality of life depend on intelligent land-use regulation, efficient urban form, robust water and energy infrastructure, well-located and accessible housing, appropriate urban density, high-quality public spaces, efficient mass transit, reliable municipal services, including parks, gardens, sanitary landfills, solid waste management, and waste-to-energy facilities, and the transition toward a circular economy.

The conservation of biodiversity, forests, and tropical ecosystems depends on agricultural and forestry policies that discourage land-use change and deforestation. At the same time, competitive and sustainable agriculture relies on the ecosystem services provided by healthy natural systems, as well as on adequate water availability within sustainably managed river basins.

Marine ecosystems and fisheries require extensive Marine Protected Areas and strict regulation of fishing methods to prevent the overexploitation and degradation of ocean resources.

Climate adaptation demands long-term planning and major investments in water infrastructure, as well as coastal protection and ecosystem restoration.

The long-term success of tourism depends upon preserving landscapes and terrestrial and marine ecosystems, national parks, and biosphere reserves, thereby enabling the diversification of destinations and the development of new nature-based tourism products.

Federal and local fiscal policy constitutes one of the most powerful instruments available to advance virtually all of these objectives.

We will pay a very high price for choosing today to live in indifference, regression, neglect, and contempt toward the environment.