Alicia Bárcena, Minister, Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), presented the ministry’s results after two years of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, highlighting investments in water, river cleanup, climate action, and species protection.
In water, total investment will exceed MX$180 billion over the administration. This includes more than MX$80 billion for 17 strategic projects benefiting 36 million people and 24,000 drinking water works in 2,183 municipalities. Efraín Morales, Director General, National Water Commission (CONAGUA), said the reorganization of concessions has recovered 5 billion m3 of water, equivalent to the annual supply of 90 million people, and that 12,346 concession titles have been granted to communities, small and medium producers, and municipalities. Irrigation modernization has reached 38,000ha out of a 250,000ha target, with about MX$63 billion in planned investment.
The cleanup program for the Atoyac, Lerma-Santiago, and Tula rivers involves MX$20 billion, benefiting 25 million people in 10 states and 61 municipalities. In Tijuana, MX$3 billion has been invested in 18 works under a sanitation memorandum of understanding signed with the United States in July 2025. Another MX$1.5 billion is allocated to the Cananea Justice Plan for the remediation of the Sonora river, which includes 22 water treatment plants and a hospital in Ures. At the Endhó Dam, MX$75 million funded the removal of 140,000m3 of water hyacinth, reducing the presence of the Culex mosquito by 47% and benefiting more than 27,000 people.
On climate, Mexico updated its commitments at COP30 in Brazil, including a 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The government also aims to reach 38% renewable energy by that year, with MX$170 billion in public, mixed, and private investment. “Climate change has already arrived, so we have to see how we face it collectively,” says Bárcena. Sembrando Vida (Sowing Life) covered 36,000ha with 75 million plants this year, with the participation of 415,000 farmers, and is expected to help reduce 6Mt of carbon.
As part of this agenda, SEMARNAT and the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) published the National Agreement for Forests, Jungles, and Mangroves in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF). The agreement sets 10 guidelines, including mangrove restoration, deforestation-free agricultural production, community forestry, support for women-led forestry businesses, wildfire prevention, the fight against illegal logging, and simpler forestry procedures for the 16,953 ejidos and communities that hold much of the country’s forest vegetation.
On air quality, 23 states have ProAire programs, and this year Mexico banned imports of tractor-trailers 10 years or older from the United States. On waste, Mexico generates 140,000t of waste per day, and the government has launched 12 waste separation projects and three recycling hubs under the circular economy law. More than 1,300 community cleanup days have been held on rivers, seas and coasts.
In wildlife protection, the ministry has reintroduced species such as the California condor, the Mexican wolf and the bison, as well as at least 85,000 wild specimens to their natural habitats, and seized more than 20,000 specimens of flora and fauna. The government also promoted a ban on dolphinariums and protected the vaquita marina. The Senate recently approved the General Law on Animal Welfare, Care, and Protection, which recognizes companion, production, and wild animals as living beings.
Bárcena adds that environmental procedures resolved this year will support MX$6.6 trillion in public and private investment projects. Despite these results, more than 300 environmental conflicts persist in Mexico, according to the Environmental Justice Atlas, including disputes over water, extractive activities, real estate developments and infrastructure.
