Cuauhtémoc Ochoa Fernández, Undersecretary for Development and Environmental Regulations at the Ministry of the Environment (Semarnat), signed a specific agreement with the national president of the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC), Luis Fernando Zárate Rocha, to promote the implementation of current regulations, thereby encouraging sustainable construction to become standard practice in Mexico.
Existing buildings have an environmental impact. Over the past two six-year terms, housing in Mexico has grown by more than 85 percent; this includes the government construction program for the 2007–2012 period, which accounts for 20 percent of total energy consumption, water shortages in various areas, and 77 percent of solid waste generation; direct CO2 emissions account for approximately 8 percent of Mexico’s total.
They agreed to work together to promote and implement the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Plan developed by the CMIC and the Mexican Standard for Sustainable Building (NMX-AA-164-SCFI-2013).
Undersecretary Ochoa Fernández highlighted the role of the construction sector, which—through the implementation of NMX-164—will become a driving force behind the green economy, as well as sustainable production and consumption, given its connections to a large number of sectors and subsectors, and a key element in climate change adaptation and mitigation.
He also highlighted the CMIC’s commitment to leading this effort to transform the construction sector into a green industry, which will contribute to improving the quality of life for residents of the country’s cities.
At the same time, Ochoa Fernández inaugurated the «Building Sustainable Construction» Lecture Series as the first initiative resulting from this agreement. Two more sessions are planned: one on February 10, focusing on the requirements for change, and another on February 24, which will address the incentives and commitments needed to promote sustainable construction.
Among the speakers, Martha Niño Sulkowska, Director of Urban Sustainability at Semarnat, stood out; she spoke about the international and national context that led to the development of the Mexican Standard for Sustainable Building.
