The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) is calling on the private sector to integrate into the national climate agenda as the government advances a green industrialization strategy aligned with the principles of the Belém Declaration, linking industrial competitiveness with decarbonization and sustainable development.
Alicia Bárcena, Minister, SEMARNAT, underscored the strategic role of Mexico’s industrial sector in the country’s sustainable transformation. She noted that Mexico represents a reliable platform for economic investments and strategic alliances in the international arena, supported by national industry and strategic initiatives such as Plan Mexico and the Infrastructure Investment Plan for Development with Well-Being.
“The government is promoting a comprehensive and cross-cutting transformation that is not only redefining public policies but also reimagining Mexico’s role in the 21st century. We are moving toward lasting collective well-being, with new development paradigms where growth goes hand in hand with productivity, environmental justice and care for the planet,” she said.
SEMARNAT aims to trigger MX$5.6 trillion (US$325.2 billion) in public and mixed investment to strengthen energy infrastructure, highways, airports, ports, hospitals and schools, opening new sectors of the economy, including the circular economy. Through the articulation of Plan Mexico between government and industry, officials seek to position the country among the world’s top 10 economies and as a reliable destination for investment.
Bárcena called on the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of Mexico (CONCAMIN) to join the government ‘s climate agenda and help meet environmental objectives, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “With your support, we can move toward green industrialization, advance decarbonization and design an emissions trading system,” she said.
She also confirmed that authorities are working on Norm-163 to establish energy efficiency parameters in the transport sector, which will be developed hand in hand with the automotive industry to ensure it is a viable initiative. In addition, she highlighted the enactment of the General Circular Economy Law, which will enable the creation of circular economy parks in Puebla, Tlaxcala and the State of Mexico.
Mexico’s push toward green industrialization aligns with the Belém Declaration on Global Green Industrialization, presented at COP30 and led by Brazil, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Breakthrough Agenda. The declaration proposes creating a centralized mechanism to monitor progress on green industrialization and stresses that deep emission reductions in heavy industries such as steel, cement, fertilizers and chemicals are indispensable to meeting the Paris Agreement.
The document outlines a multilateral joint framework to align governments, international organizations, companies and research centers around a shared vision of sustainable industrialization capable of advancing climate and development objectives simultaneously. It also calls for expanding global clean technology manufacturing to ensure that the energy transition generates shared prosperity, decent employment, and energy security.
The declaration draws on the Global Green Industrialization Dialogue promoted by Brazil, South Africa and the United Kingdom, which advocates lead markets for low-carbon industrial products, increased financing for the Global South and accelerated technological cooperation.
Domestically, SEMARNAT has broadened engagement beyond the industrial sector. In January Bárcena met with representatives of 25 national and international NGOs to discuss joint environmental strategies and strengthen collaboration on sustainable development. During the meeting, she invited organizations to present proposals aimed at consolidating an environmental policy responsive to Mexico’s structural challenges.
SEMARNAT is working on a National Restoration Program and an agreement to protect forests, jungles and mangroves, as well as accompanying federal infrastructure projects with a responsible environmental approach and developing an ecology and circular economy park.
NGOs proposed priority actions including reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, designing policies to support communities dependent on marine and forest resources under sustainable models, halting and reversing deforestation, and promoting training in agroforestry, conservation and restoration practices, along with the consolidation of sustainable value chains.
Bárcena also presented Plan México at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, positioning it as an integrated strategy to trigger investment, strengthen productive development and advance a sustainable economic model. Over five days, she outlined environmental policy, circular economy projects and the Economic Development Poles for Well-being to attract capital, substitute imports, generate employment and promote growth with social inclusion and environmental responsibility. “It is essential that the world understands what Mexico is building: a sustainable development project with growth, inclusion and opportunity,” she said.