Complex transition to sustainable development goals in Mexico: COVID-19, poverty, climate change, and energy transition with the 4th Transformation

Abstract

Mexico is highly exposed to climate change due to two warming oceans. In the face of catastrophic impacts, direct support to those affected predominates, with only 4% budgeted in 2022 for adaptation, while the damages that occurred were partially remediated. But the governance arena is more complex due to the socioeconomic lags of COVID-19 that have altered the quantity and quality of jobs. The war between Russia and Ukraine has driven up the prices of goods and food, and extreme events have diverted investments from the development of infrastructure and poverty alleviation. Because of these complex processes with negative feedback, it is urgent to develop policy agendas that mitigate the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions, reorient activities towards the adaptation of vulnerable groups to disasters, and support governmental and private actors in unforeseen and complex political management. Training in sustainable development would help to prevent adverse impacts by orienting Mexican policy towards paths of equity and well-being.