Civil Groups Call for Ambitious Vehicle Emissions Standards

Civil organizations in Mexico urge the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) to ensure that the next update of NOM-163-SEMARNAT-SCFI-2023, which regulates CO2 emissions and energy efficiency for light vehicles, is designed with maximum climate ambition and without concessions to the automotive industry.

The Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA), the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), and El Poder del Consumidor (EPC) warn that previous versions of the regulation were weakened by flexibility mechanisms that nullified its effectiveness, preventing Mexico from reducing transportation-sector emissions.

The organizations say that President Claudia Sheinbaum included modernization of environmental regulations in her 100-Point Plan, as part of Mexico’s transition to a low-carbon economy. In this context, NOM-163 is considered a strategic tool for meeting the country’s international climate commitments.

The groups recommend aligning targets with the Glasgow Pact and the planned electrification of vehicles by 2030 and 2035. They also call for eliminating empty credits and flexibility measures that allow corporations to comply on paper without reducing actual emissions, and for ensuring transparency through open data and vehicle traceability.

“The NOM-163 must become a true climate and environmental tool. We must remember that human rights, such as a healthy environment and health, should not be conditioned solely on economic criteria,” says CEMDA’s Anaid Velasco.

ITDP and EPC say that a stricter standard is not only a climate instrument but also a social justice measure, as low-income households are most affected by fuel costs and poor air quality.

“Mexico has all the commercial and technological conditions to adopt ambitious efficiency standards. Our plants export to countries with stricter regulations, which is embarrassing,” says Bernardo Baranda, Representative, ITDP.

The organizations note that Mexico continues to lag behind the United States and Canada. By 2027, a new car in Mexico is projected to consume on average 3% more gasoline than in the United States, while the flexibility measures allowed by the Mexican standard are double those of the northern country. 

Meeting Mexico’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations will depend in large part on strengthening NOM-163, the groups say. “Today, the vast majority of cars sold in Mexico consume more gasoline than they should, which harms families’ finances and the climate. The new NOM-163 is the last call to put consumers and the environment at the center of policy, not corporations,” say Stephan Brodziak, Representative, EPC.