Karma

Mexico City on a Fase Uno de Contingencia Ambiental por ozono day

The view from Cablebús Línea 3 of the recently opened final leg of the Tren Insurgente which runs from Toluca to Metro Observatorio in Mexico City.

From my perch in Mexico City on a fase uno de contingencia ambiental por ozono (very smoggy) day, I am dumbfounded by the rollback by the U.S. to a time when the country had no clean-car rules. Now, and for that matter, NEVER, is it time to outsource environmental policy to ExxonMobil.

A typical rush hour in Mexico City.

In the U.S., México and other parts of the world, transportation is a major source of greenhouse gas pollution. According to a recent article in the New York Times, with the administration’s latest policy change regarding the “endangerment finding,” the scientific determination that required the EPA, to regulate greenhouse gases because of the threat to human health, the U.S. will essentially have no laws on the books that enforce how efficient passenger cars and trucks should be.

“The U.S. no longer has emission standards of any meaning… Nothing. Zero… Not many countries have zero.” - Margo T. Oge, Former top vehicle emissions regulator at the EPA under three former U.S. presidents.

In what was once a global leader in cleaner car technology, the current reality in the U.S. is:

• Rejection of the scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life and well being.

• The weakening of fuel economy standards to largely irrelevant levels.

• Congressional efforts to block California’s clean-car rules.

• Automobile manufacturers will no longer get a credit toward vehicle emissions standards by installing engines that automatically stop at red lights.

Stop-start technology, for example, has been found to have improved fuel economy by between 7.27 and 26.4 percent.

So while U.S. automakers are encouraged to double down on gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, China, Korea and Mexico are blazing a path to cleaner electric vehicles.

Now, it will be up to the courts in the U.S. to decide whether retrograde ideas about automotive technology and environmental protection, should stand. Likewise, hopefully what used to be called Motown also does the right thing and continues to produce on/off battery technology cars and trucks. After all, Detroit knows as well as anyone that with any luck, future presidents and Congresses won’t be as for sale to oil industry leaders as the current administration. Let’s be optimistic that it is just a matter of time before the U.S. reverts to science and again makes combating climate change and promoting public and environmental health a core EPA value.

Karma

What does karma look like? A group of oil industry executives at a pay-to-play event with a certain U.S. president choking on the fumes from a fleet of Ford 350 diesel trucks.

A toast to karma working its magic on those who reject science and the premise that climate change is real!

The Mexican Reality

Of course as far as smog is concerned things here in México, including the fase uno de contingencia ambiental por ozono, are far from perfect.

The multimodal (and still traffic-clogged) Centro Histórico, Mexico City.

Still, positive signs of forward progress in the battle against air pollution abound. In México, hybrid and all-electric EVs are now common and smart, emission-free mass transportation projects are coming on-line everywhere.

EVs, like buses, are common on Mexico City streets.

Reuse and recycling including in the automotive sector, is also widespread. With any luck the country will continue to dodge the foolhardy notion that single use is better.

Vulcanizadora, Vasco de Quiroga, Santa Fe, CDMX.

What Else We Can Do

This week’s poor air quality in CDMX mandates that, based on their license plate number, certain vehicles (including hybrids) can’t be on the roads on certain days. The strategy is an example of proven policy changes governments can be taking to combat global warming.

Being mindful of the reality of climate change is not to be paralyzed by our predicament. It is a common sense starting point that makes our approach more effective at harnessing science and technological know-how to improve our lives on the only planet most of us will ever call home.

There is nothing magical about combating climate change. It means accepting the science and moving forward from where we are rather than pretending it does not exist.

Topography

Cities like CDMX which is ringed by mountains and volcanoes will likely suffer for some time from man-made smog. Still, México is to be commended for trying to combat pollution and many of its strategies are driven by science not by the wishes of those making the biggest deposit into you know who’s crypto account.

Shortcomings will always plague countries and governments that actually care about public health and the environment. For instance, just because your license plate says you can drive on a particular day doesn’t excuse the fact that your vehicle hasn’t been properly inspected for excessive emissions in a decade or more. Or, that the factory inspector has accepted a bribe so that a plant can continue operating even though the chemicals its chimney spews are making children and everyone else sick. Policies and regulations are only effective if those charged with enforcement actually do the job they were hired to do.

Every week I ride public transportation all over Mexico City and too often those buses, colectivos, peceros, aren’t the latest and cleanest model. The government here can and should do more to incentivize independent, private operators to upgrade their fleet to cleaner fuel and all-electric vehicles. Finding the right formula that lets operators upgrade their wheels (rebates, tax relief, etc.) is a math problem that smart quants can pencil out. Just saying!

Flight

Readying a hot ail balloon for flight over the pyramids at Teotihuacán.

Air travel is of course another source of greenhouse gas pollution. Though hardly a solution, propane-powered hot air balloons have a relatively low environmental impact, making them one of the cleanest forms of flight. Cleaner fuels and more efficient aircraft are important steps along the way.

Ballooning over the pyramids at Teotihuacán in Estado de México.

Size Matters

At 22 million souls and growing, CDMX doesn’t really end, it just melds into surrounding Estado de México and Estado de Morelos on the south where environmental enforcement may not be as up to snuff or consistent with the goals of La Ciudad de México. If you have never been here, think of Los Angeles County including all of the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel Valley to Riverside County and south to Orange County. CDMX is big and like LA, the region’s topography traps in the smog.

Vote Early and Often

The midterm elections in the U.S. and the restoration of enforcement agencies that protect the public and the environment can’t come soon enough. I dream of the day that U.S. politicians and pundits are again ashamed to put forth the canard that science and truth are just another perspective.

If only science actually was hiding out in this piñata moments away from reclaiming the mantle at the EPA.

Yours in transit,

Joel

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