Mexico
Works With Costa Rica, Colombia On Carbon Storage
Mexico City - Mexico is
working with Latin American peers Colombia
and Costa Rica to fight greenhouse gases via
carbon storage, the nation's Environment
Secretary Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada said on
Monday.
"We are working with Costa Rica and Colombia
on environment mitigation and education, and
seeking a joint system for storing carbon,"
Elvira said in a press conference.
Methane, produced by rotting organic waste,
and carbon dioxide, mostly produced by
engines and electricity turbines, are main
greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere.
Carbon capture and storage serve an
effective way to check and reverse the
climate change.
Even without other countries' cooperation,
Mexico will endeavor to combat climate
change since it has realized the high cost
of ignoring it, Elvira said.
He estimated that if Mexico chose to do
nothing about climate change, it would
suffer a heavy loss of nearly 15.3 percent
of gross domestic product (GDP), while the
cost of prevention over the same time would
be around 5.6 percent.
"Climate change clearly costs more than
mitigation," he said. In 2007, heavy rains
flooded 70 percent of southern state
Tabasco, inflicting a loss of 0.5 percent of
GDP, he said.
He said that the Mexican government had
committed to reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by 128.5 million tons from 2008 to
2012.
"We aim to emit less without sacrificing
growth ... (the plan) helps boost foreign
direct investment and budget efficiency and
create a low carbon economy," he said.
Mexico produces 6.4 tons of greenhouse gases
per person, around 9 percent less than the
world average of 7.1 tons. It is responsible
for around 1.6 percent of total world
emissions.
Mexico has started negotiations with the
United States and Canada, its two partners
in the North American Free Trade Agreement,
about trilateral collaboration on clean
energy and energy efficiency, Elvira added.
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