Seeking to improve understanding, communication, and cooperation between Mexico and the United States by promoting original research, encouraging public discussion, and proposing policy options for enhancing the bilateral relationship.
NPR, 05/24/2023
Scientists in Mexico say it’s impossible to tell how long this new activity will last, or whether recent activity might lead to such a blast. But they say the 17,700-foot volcano, known locally as El Popo, will give enough warning to evacuate the millions who could be in danger.
Mexico has deployed about 7,000 troops to the region to help prepare for an evacuation if one is needed. More than 25 million people live within 60 miles of the peak.
The Guardian, 05/23/2023
Diggers trundle across the chalky earth just outside the town of Xpujil, in Campeche state, southern Mexico. The land is being cleared to make way for the Maya train line, a controversial megaproject that will cross the Yucatán peninsula, whisking tourists from the beaches of Cancún and Tulum to Maya archeological sites in the heart of the jungle.
A sizeable area has already been gouged out of rainforest, the second largest in the Americas after the Amazon, for the 1,525km (948 mile) route that will cut through land largely inhabited by Indigenous groups.
“What is being done with the Maya train megaproject is not Mayan in any way. It is a decision from above,” Q’anjob’al Maya leader Romel González Díaz shouted through a megaphone in Xpujil earlier this month. Listening were about 100 Indigenous leaders, activists and international observers who had joined La Caravana el Sur Resiste (the south resists caravan), which passed through the five states where the train will run, encouraging community opposition to the project.
Forbes, 05/23/2023
Mexico’s National Civil Protection Coordination tweeted a warning to residents Tuesday morning, advising them not to “underestimate” the dangerous health effects of inhaling volcanic ash, especially among children, older adults and people with respiratory diseases, while advising curious onlookers against climbing up to the volcano’s crater, warning it is “irresponsible.”
Laura Velázquez Alzúa, the director of Mexico’s National Disaster Prevention Center, said in a news conference Monday after the agency raised its alert level to Yellow Alert Phase Three—just below an evacuation order—to take “extreme precautions,” according to a translation by Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Fox News, 05/23/2023
Ash has descended and reduced visibility and the 17,797-foot-tall mountain has become increasingly explosive for more than a week. The plume has extended over hundreds of miles to the east and over the Bay of Campeche, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Schools were closed in dozens of municipalities across three states and evacuation drills were held on Monday.
ABC News, 05/22/2023
Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano spewed gas, smoke and ash Monday, leading education authorities to suspend in-person classes in parts of three states, a day after the government raised the warning level on the volcano’s activity.
Activity at the 17,797-foot (5,425-meter) mountain just 45 miles (about 70 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City and known affectionately as “El Popo” has increased over the past week. Evacuations have not been ordered, but authorities were preparing for that scenario and telling people to stay out of 7.5-mile (12-kilometer) radius around the peak.
Border Report, 04/28/2023
The city of Imperial Beach is asking the U.S. Department of State to declare a state of emergency over ongoing pollution coming from south of the border, in particular raw sewage.
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre says the bacteria levels in the ocean are at “astronomical” levels and have led to consistent beach closures since Dec. 2021.
“I’ve asked for a state of emergency, because just like a tornado or a hurricane or a tsunami that can lead to a natural disaster, the levels of pollution that we’re talking about are impacting us,” said Aguirre.
According to Aguirre, measurements of the environmental DNA in the area are 17,000 points above the norm.
The National News, 04/25/2023
A mysterious underwater cavern off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is a dark blue hole teaming with life, ocean researchers say.
The chasm is 274 metres deep and lets in little light due to its narrow opening on the ocean floor. In the cold, dark temperatures, researchers expected only basic life forms to survive but say that nature is thriving in the murky depths.
This is despite a lack of oxygenated water near the bottom of the hole and high salinity. The study said conditions in the hole were “anoxic” — or without oxygen — below 110 metres.
NRDC, 04/10/23
In a settlement filed in court Friday, the U.S. Department of the Interior agreed to determine whether Mexico has failed to stop illegal fishing and trade of totoaba that is driving the vaquita porpoise’s extinction. The determination could result in an embargo against Mexico.
In response to a lawsuit filed last year by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Animal Welfare Institute and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Interior will decide by May 19 (with a public announcement by June 3) whether to formally certify Mexico under the U.S. Pelly Amendment to the Fishermen’s Protective Act for undermining the effectiveness of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). If Mexico is certified, President Biden can embargo imports, including seafood and other wildlife, from Mexico.
La Jornada, 05/04/2023
El convenio alcanzado entre el gobierno mexicano e Iberdrola para la adquisición de las plantas que la empresa de origen español tiene en México “representa el inicio de una nueva etapa en la que el sector privado (…) es bienvenido a invertir en el desarrollo de energías renovables en el país, bajo la tutela del Estado”, destacó la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público.
La dependencia detalló que las 13 plantas de generación eléctrica que se adquirirán a la firma española tienen una vida útil promedio de más de 18 años, pero ésta se puede extender una década más, con lo que la inversión que realizará el Estado mexicano generará beneficios por hasta 28 años.
Horas antes, primero en un comunicado a los mercados en España y luego con un video subido a las redes sociales del presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador, se anunció que el gobierno acordó con Iberdrola la adquisición de 13 plantas de generación de electricidad, incluida una central de energía renovable.
El Universal, 27/03/2023
La Comisión Ambiental de la Megalópolis (CAMe) informó que, este lunes continúa la Fase I de contingencia ambiental atmosférica por ozono en la ZMVM y sus medidas, con el fin de proteger la salud de la población y prevenir la exposición a niveles altos de ozono.
Se recuerda a la población mantenerse informados sobre la calidad del aire y evitar hacer ejercicio en exteriores entre las 13:00 y 19:00 horas.
Mexico Institute 