Ecobreves – MEXICO: Adapting Transportation to Climate Change

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MEXICO CITY, Nov 28 2011 (IPS) - Mexico should implement climate change adaption and mitigation policies in the transportation sector, recommends a non-governmental organization. "Countries like Mexico are going to face adaptation problems in around 20 years. If nothing is done to reduce emissions from transportation, it could become the biggest source," Hilda Martínez, director of climate change and air quality at the non-governmental Centre for Sustainable Transportation, told Tierramérica.

Measures that need to be adopted include reducing motor vehicle travel, combining means of transportation and introducing more efficient technology.

The center analyzed federal government programs for the introduction of more modern passenger and freight vehicles, the optimization of the highway network around the area of Mexico City, and investment in public transportation through the National Infrastructure Fund.

Mexico produces some 709 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, with transportation accounting for 20 percent of the total.