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Mining activities depend on the feasibility of extracting non-renewable resources, so the interruptions of the mining cycle are intrinsic issues to mining, depending on economic, social, or technical factors that can obstruct the continuity of the process. This article addresses the characterization of different types of interruptions, encompassed here within what we call the post-mining stage, emphasizing on the perception of the population that is linked to the sites where mining is interrupted. Five case studies are taken that reflect different types of post-mining activities and processes, framed in the situation observed in 2018, using qualitative methods from the geography of perception. The contribution of the research lies in unveiling how the actions carried out by companies and governments overlap, contrasting with the perception of the populations that are linked to mining. This work is an approach to the understanding of what happens with the towns and the populations linked to mining once it ceases: how the relationship with the site and with its daily life is modified throughout the post-mining phase of differentiated way in each case presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) culminated in the signing of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and a series of symbolic changes on environmental issues. Environmental protection was not a priority for any of the three member states during the round of negotiations. This has been analyzed and criticized by environmental groups, who argue that a twenty-first-century trade agreement should not ignore the environmental and climate crisis we are suffering today. This article summarizes the content of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), still in effect, and analyzes the changes slated for environmental issues with the signing of usmca and its new environmental accord, the Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (AEC). Both usmca's Chapter 24, dedicated to the environment, and the new aec are steps backward that paralyze the advances for environmental regulation in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies the environmental industries of Mexico and the United States Within the framework of the North American Free Trade NAFTA where Mexican industry lags behind lack of funds due to recurring economic crises. Should this situation not be overcome, the benefits of foreign trade for the Mexican environmental industry will remain low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research contributes to the study of industrial groups and their influence on the environmental regulation in Mexico. Polluting industries have incentives to influence and avoid inspection and verification visits of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa). Through principal component analysis, it is defined the potential ability to influence of 62 manufacturing industries, based on their organizational structures and power resources. A model is estimated to determine what are the effects of trade links, production, potential ability to influence, and inspection priority for the Profepa, in the visits of the Profepa. The results indicate that the level of production, and the inspection priority for the Profepa determine the inspections; whereas level of priority determines the verification visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes steps towards environmental policy integration (EPI) in Mexico, with special emphasis in agricultural policy. So far, the country has mostly used communicative instruments to reach this aim. Semi-structured interviews with high-ranking officials from the ministries of Agriculture and of the Environment show that even though these measures break ground for public servants with the will to implement the principle of EPI in policy towards the countryside, they fail to make environmentally friendly policies mandatory. Yet, recent efforts to achieve this have attained some success. It remains to be seen if they are preserved and further enhanced by the next administrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of non-timber forest products is associated with the conservation of eco-systems and the generation of income for forest inhabitants. However, this is not an automatic correlation. In the Lacandon Forest, the sale of camedor palm does generate income for local communities, but appears to have resulted in an over-exploitation of the resource. The government has attempted to regulate this activity through Wildlife Conservation Management Units (UMAs), but with limited environmental and social outcomes. We describe the harvesting and production of camedor palm in the Lacandon region and analyze the effectiveness of the UMAs, concluding that their limitations are the result of the instrument's emphasis on technical and normative aspects rather than on processes of negotiation and conciliation amongst stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mexico has suffered big environmental losses due to different causes, and experiences a great inequality within each state. The objective of this article is to study the link between inequality and the environment. Specifically, it will explain the relationship between power inequality and the environmental policies in each Mexican state. Two econometric estimations are made: the first one to see the determinants of the distribution of power, and the second one to see the connection between power inequality (and three control variables) and the environmental policies of each state in Mexico. We found that higher levels of power inequality are related to less quality in environmental policies. This is because individuals that benefit from pollution-generating activities are more capable of influencing political decisions, as they are relatively wealthy and well educated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental policy in Mexico is already part of the national security agenda. However, one of its key planning instruments, the OET (Ecological and Territorial Planning), is not having the expected impact. Indigenous peoples and territories should be considered as a strategic sector, should OET is to be implemented. However a closer look into the current state of affairs is necessary. Therefore, a socio-environmental analysis is performed on the Sonora biocultural complexes, from the political ecology and biocultural perspectives. This interdisciplinary analysis conjugates the epistemologies and methodologies of the social and ecological sciences. The socio-environ-mental analysis is organized using two major themes, contemporary territorialiry and indigenous community. We conclude that OET in its actual format is not operational, thus, several recommendations to increase its efficiency are presented. Lastly, we underline the importance of attention to biocultural complexes as a first step towards environmental justice, as well as its capacity to influence in favor of global environ-mental issues, such as climate change and water quality and availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the role of public institutions in environmental management, and the application of the National Environmental Audit Programme in the Mexican tourism sector. The research recognizes the role of the hoteliers in the development of tourist zones, and in the alteration of the natural environment. This is an exploratory study of the general perception of management of 28 hotels in the Cancún area regarding the environmental management of their businesses, the factors which limit implementation, the benefits obtained, and commitment to public policy. The results show that the effects of policy on environmental management are mildly positive. For future research, the proposal is to replicate the analysis in other tourism zones, and to quantify the effects of environmental management and performance, profitability and competitiveness of the businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at evaluating —within the framework of the Mexican government's environmental policy and its contribution to alleviating poverty —the impact of using corn in bio-ethanol production on the economy of a rural community in the state of Yucatan. The results of the simulation, carried out using an accountable multiplier model based on a Social Accounting Matrix, demonstrate that the effects of an increase in the demand for cereal on the GDP of a subsistence economy and on household incomes are minimal. The study proposes to provide an incentive to the demand for craft industries or the production of honey in the locality, as alternatives for sustainable development. The two options have significant impacts on GDP and on the reduction of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasingly evident deterioration of public health due to atmospheric pollution has forced governments to design and implement diverse policies for the control of air pollutants. Relying on quantitative methods, we investigate the effectiveness of intergovernmental policies for the abatement of air pollution in four metropolitan areas (Guadalajara, Monterrey, Valle de Mexico, and Valle de Toluca) over a ten year period. Our statistical analysis shows that, when observed concurrently, the efforts of these governments to reduce the concentrations of sulphur and nitrogen dioxids have been effective only partially. In the cases of Guadalajara and Monterrey, our qualitative analysis reveals that specific characteristics of these policies (the degree of participation of industries and municipal governments) and the existence of international commercial liaisons (export-oriented industries tend to adopt environmental-friendly policies) explain, to a large extent, the evolution of the concentration of pollutants in each city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental problem is so complex that it is necessary to involve all the social actors upon addressing this issue; and at the same time, it is essential to guarantee access to the environmental information available, because it is an indispensable factor in making decisions that are environmentally suitable and socially endorsed; which would allow for sustainable development to be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gender, environment, and development approach proposes the study of women's fights and obligations toward natural resources, as well as institutions and property relations that govern the access to such resources within specific socio-environmental contexts. From this viewpoint, this paper studies the fishing activities of native women and men from Veracruz, Mexico, focusing on two processes: the gender construction of the fishing arts and the gender socialization in fishing activities. This paper shows that both processes make women specialize in certain water resources, which are important to securing feeding to their communities. An environmental policy with a gender perspective will be able to visualize woman roles in food provisioning, and to strengthen their control over the resources they currently manage, based on the environmental knowledge women have about them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]