Mexico's chemical industry is projecting a yearly growth of 3.9% over the long-term, implying that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will grow from 20.82 MtCO2e in 2014 to 81.82 MtCO2e in 2050 if mitigation actions are not undertaken. Through the national LECB project, the National Association for the Chemical Industry (Asociación Nacional de la Industria Química (ANIQ) has developed a long-term low-emission development strategy (LEDS) to address this issue.
The results of the LEDS were presented to more than 50 key stakeholders on 12 January in Mexico City and resulted in a dynamic discussion on how the industry can meaningfully support the government to reach the climate targets defined in its Nationally Determined Contribution, which proposes a 5% reduction in emissions for the industrial sector by 2020 and a 42% reduction in carbon intensity.
Applying the Sectoral Decarbonization Approach, the LEDS proposes to increase use of renewable energies, improve energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption. Under a phased approach, industry will improve productivity in the short term before reducing dependence on energy-intensive fuels.
Among the participants were the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change, the Ministries of Environment and Energy, the Institute for Energy Research, UNDP, and private sector representatives including Nestlé and the business chambers for iron and steel and cement.