January 2013: The Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published the third review of Mexico’s environmental performance, including on progress toward a green, low-carbon economy. The Environmental Performance Review (EPR) presents 29 recommendations for achieving the “right mix of policies” to meet Mexico’s environmental policy objectives.

Main issues addressed in the report are: key environmental trends, policy-making environment, towards green growth, climate change, and biodiversity and forests.

The recommendations include to: gradually reduce subsidies to energy use, agriculture and fisheries that harm the environment, and replace them with targeted cash transfers to low-income households and small farmers; introduce an excise tax on transport fuels and energy products that reflects the environmental costs associated with their use, while providing targeted cash transfers to those adversely affected; further develop sustainable urban transport systems by scaling up and rolling out investment in low-carbon mass transit; and review the efficiency and effectiveness of economic instruments for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and forests.

EPRs of OECD member countries are now in their third cycle, with the reviews focusing on performance and on selected issues of high priority for the reviewed countries. [Publication: OECD Environmental Performance Reviews: Mexico 2013] [OECD Press Release]