Lopez Obrador’s drive to strengthen the state oil and gas company and the national power utility – both of which depend heavily on fossil fuels – at the expense of private wind and solar power firms has caused friction with the United States and other longstanding allies.
The policy has also upset some on the Mexican left eager to see the country give priority to renewable energy sources.
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, who was part of an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, has defended Lopez Obrador’s efforts to pursue energy independence but also wants to capitalize on Mexico’s green energy reserves.
“I think it’s crucial to really take advantage of renewable energies in the country,” she said when asked how a Sheinbaum administration could differ from its predecessor, even as she stressed her support for Lopez Obrador’s vision for Mexico.
Some have also pressed for higher taxation. Asked whether she favored higher taxes, Sheinbaum declined to be drawn, saying the question would need careful analysis.
Where Mexico City has diverged is in its success in reducing gang-fuelled violence that has for years ravaged the country.
The city has targeted problem areas, increasing the number of police on the streets and their pay, Sheinbaum said, and more than quadrupling the number of video surveillance cameras.
While the national murder tally barely dropped at all in 2021 from nearly 34,000 in 2018, Mexico City’s total fell by well over a third during the same period.
This year the nationwide figure has eased somewhat. In Mexico City, it is on track to come down to half the 2018 total.
Still, Sheinbaum said the improvement rested on close cooperation between city authorities and federal forces.
Source: El Universal