This talk looks at Mexico’s growing role in the UN-led effort to mitigate climate change. The 13th largest emitter of greenhouse gases, Mexico pledged at COP29 (in November, in Azerbaijan) to have a net zero economy by 2050 - to balance its emissions with reductions. The pledge is seen as a road map for other high-emitting developing nations, including China. At COP29, Mexico also teamed with the EU and ten other countries to benchmark accelerated decarbonization efforts. Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s new president, was a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize co-winner for her work as a climate scientist. Her climate initiatives as Mexico City’s mayor included green-space expansion, waste reduction, transit innovation, watershed conservation, air-quality improvement, and municipal solar.

Locally, the Metropolitan Area of Oaxaca (including 17 municipalities), in partnership with the World Bank, is creating a model Climate Action Plan to increase climate resilience and achieve low-carbon development. And, just before COP29, Oaxaca was the site of a Global Meeting for Climate and Life, attended by 200 activists from 40 countries and dubbed the progressive and indigenous “anti-COP.”

Presenter: Larry D Gussin was a co-founder of Google Nest, which in 2011 brought scale energy efficiency to the built environment with the Nest Thermostat. Since 2013 he has worked as a climate activist, donor and educator. Now focused on climate and food systems, which account for 1/3 of global greenhouse gas emissions, he is an advisor and donor to the Plant-Based Treaty. This is Larry’s sixth OLL climate solutions talk, dating back to 2013.