Alejandro Ángulo
With Donald Trump’s arrival to the White House, the elimination of important environmental regulations related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and other issues are anticipated.
According to an analysis by the New York Times, based on research from Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, and other sources, more than 100 environmental regulations and policies were repealed or dismantled during his previous administration. Among them were many regulations governing clean air, water, wildlife, and toxic chemicals.
Although Trump attempted to eliminate the Endangered Species Act, there was some citizen legal action against this, resulting in a successful lawsuit that stopped the destruction of many habitats and trophy hunting of key species.
It is also expected that the global climate commitment will be weakened, with emissions only being reduced by 28% below 2005 levels by 2030. In contrast, the U.S. target under the Paris Agreement was to achieve a reduction of 50-52% by 2030.
Moreover, it is likely that the budget for scientific research and environmental programs that protect air and water will be slashed, hindering progress in the fight against climate change. Budget cuts are also expected for international funds related to climate change.
On another front, there are those who believe Trump will proceed to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the federal agency with the most power to address the climate and environmental emergency.
The document known as “Project 2025” is a plan that seeks to promote conservative policies. Although Trump distanced himself from the document during his campaign, he clearly aligns now with many of its proposals.
In the opinion of environmentalists, “a return to regressive policies is expected. In his interventions, the former president has expressed skepticism about climate change and seems willing to pull the U.S. out of international climate commitments again. Moreover, his focus on the expansion of fossil fuels and his position against environmental regulations could increase global greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, SEO/BirdLife has indicated that his stance on renewable energy is ‘equally problematic’ as it favors reducing support for clean energy industries in favor of fossil fuels.”
On the other hand, organizations of environmentalists have pointed out that Trump has been critical of international conservation agreements and that his previous administration reduced protection for natural spaces and deregulated conservation areas. In their opinion, this environmental deregulation could be “devastating” for global conservation efforts and negatively impact the protection of critical habitats worldwide.
However, there is another issue: the country’s debt, along with its climate crisis, now come together in a vicious cycle (in terms of external debt, the United States has the highest debt, at $32.9 trillion). Therefore, it would need to adopt an approach based on the Debt Sustainability Framework (DSF).
For this reason, it is difficult to think that the upcoming environmental policy under Trump’s new administration will be sustainable.
Nevertheless, there are common environmental issues between Mexico and the United States, particularly concerning the trade-environment relationship, as well as issues related to water usage between the two countries, fishing, the trade of hazardous waste, wildlife corridors along the northern border, the trade of genetically modified seeds and glyphosate, and air quality (binational atmospheric water corridors: San Diego/Tijuana, both Nogales, Yuma/San Luis or Colorado, Paso del Norte – El Paso/Ciudad Juárez/Sunland Park).
It is important to consider that the border between the United States and Mexico provides a dynamic and complex example of the challenges of binational environmental management within the context of economic integration. The approximately three-thousand-kilometer border is home to millions of people who share water, air, land, and ecosystems under different institutional structures and varying social conditions.
However, there are precedents for environmental cooperation and collaboration between both countries, such as the Mexico-United States Environmental Program (signed by SEMARNAT and the EPA): Border 2025 (Frontera 2025 Program), which concludes this year (2025), and whose strategic goals are:
Goal 1: Reduce Air Pollution.
Goal 2: Improve Water Quality.
Goal 3: Promote Comprehensive Management of Materials and Waste, and Clean Sites.
Goal 4: Improve Joint Preparedness and Response.
We anticipate the development of another binational environmental program for 2025-2030.
Furthermore, the Environmental Cooperation Commission is mandated to “periodically address the state of the environment within all our territories” Consequently, the 2025 treaty review must include environmental issues within the framework of a strategic plan.
Climate change will undoubtedly be the most pressing concern. North America already experiences significant local economic damage and substantial ecosystem, social, and cultural disruption from climate-related events. These include hurricanes and other intense storms, floods, droughts, heatwaves, and increasingly frequent wildfires.
Soil health will be another prominent environmental theme. Land use represents one of humanity’s most significant impacts on the planet. Human activity has altered global patterns and the distribution of species and ecosystems. Recent studies confirm that human-dominated ecosystems now cover a larger proportion of the Earth’s land surface than natural or “wild” ecosystems.
Recent estimates suggest that over 75 percent of the planet’s ice-free soils show signs of human alteration, leaving less than a quarter as untouched. This is largely due to the fact that nearly one-third of North America’s total land area is dedicated to agriculture.
While this represents only 12 percent of the global agricultural surface, the region produces 20 percent of the world’s cereals and an equal percentage of meat. This production must consider the growing global population, particularly in Mexico and the United States, which drives increased demand.
Grasslands, in particular, are among the most endangered ecosystems in the region. In 2001, 55 grassland wildlife species in the U.S. were listed as threatened or endangered. In Mexico, overgrazing is diminishing rangeland productivity and threatening biodiversity.
