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In this study we investigate the effectiveness of environmental regulation in a large developing country. We construct a panel of 3,436 major toxics polluters from 2004 to 2015 using detailed plant-specific data on toxics releases, inspections, and fines, across Mexico. Our results show that regulators target polluters who are significantly non-compliant and impose higher fines on them. This has implications for the cost efficiency of monitoring and regulatory enforcement. An additional priority violation increases current toxics inspections, fines, and amount of fines by 7, 5 and 18 per cent, respectively. An additional priority violation followed by fines imposed on the plant results in a reduction in annual toxics releases by more than 50 per cent. Higher fines imposed on other major facilities in the same municipality induce plants to reduce the annual release of toxic pollutants by 0.1 per cent. Finally, inspections and fines increase the likelihood of reporting toxics releases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A critical ecological threshold was determined between simulation years 25 and 50. • Unacceptable risk was reached before the threshold under laissez-faire strategy. • Crossing the threshold increased greatly the risk of reducing the whale abundance. • At simulation year 25 there was an average of 60 whale watching boats. • Establishing a legal maximum below 60 whale watching boats reduced the risk. Policy-making to protect threatened species implies dealing with uncertainty and ignorance. Conservation management of the Eastern gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) population through the regulation of whale watching in the lagoon Ojo de Liebre, Mexico, is a useful example of policy-making challenged by lack of scientific knowledge regarding the negative long-term effects of whale watching. We present a pragmatic approach to provide Mexican authorities the technical information they need to justify the establishment of a maximum number of boats under conditions of deep uncertainty. Operationally, our approach combines system dynamics modelling, to simulate the boats' impact on the breeding habitat, with ecological risk assessment, to determine the probability of crossing a critical ecological threshold, which is associated to a risk of severely reducing the gray whale abundance in the lagoon. Thus, our approach addresses the issue of establishing a legal maximum number of boats to protect threatened species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the perception of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Aguascalientes on the influence of environmental regulations on the competitiveness of enterprises. The results show that if a company has approximately 11 years and planned to continue growing, the likely that the firm felt that the environmental rules do not affect competitiveness is relatively low. This perception would be explained by the poor and inadequate existing environmental regulatory framework. Therefore, reforms are needed to environmental regulations, for example, implement technical and financial mechanisms that encourage the firms to comply with the environmental regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National and local authorities worldwide are facing new forms of industrial organization that impede environmental regulation of industrial activities. After the latest waves of public utility privatizations, accompanied by concentration in diverse economic sectors and the maturation of global manufacturing, it is to be expected that regulators might find themselves with little independence or power to design and enforce regulatory schemes. This is particularly true for the promotion of environmental protection through technological innovation in firms. This article argues that business cycles in the maquiladora industry and the institutional capabilities of regional authorities are direct structural constraints that inhibit the promotion of cleaner production in the Mexican-U. S. Border region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to use the experience of pollution in the Imperial and Baja California Valleys under NAFTA, as a cautionary model to provide recommendations for deterrence of similar ecological degradation effects that could emerge under the newly-approved CAFTA. Design/methodology/approach - Analysis of the region using existing statistical data and content analysis of qualitative data from the Imperial and Baja California Valleys, and Costa Rica. Findings - Economics and ecology have thus far not proved to have a complementary relationship, based on the NAFTA experience in the Imperial and Baja California Valleys. Early data on environmental law suits in the CAFTA region against environmental regulations also point to a negative attitude by business to environmental protections of nation-states. CAFTA's investment rules puts corporate rights over ecosystems by limiting public regulation and granting legal avenues to corporations to sue governments for "barriers to trade", where national environmental laws are seen as these so-called "barriers to trade". Research limitations/implications - CAFTA was promulgated in 2005, but only put into effect, January 1, 2006. Thus, as more data emerges about its impacts, additional and more definitive studies can be undertaken. Practical implications - Looking at the possible environmental effects of CAFTA and NAFTA provides the international community a chance to consider early remediation and prevention measures for the environmental sustainability of the CAFTA region within the context of this large economic market. Originality/value - This is a fresh and early look at a newly-installed international trade policy, and its value to scholars and practitioners lies in its cautionary guidance for the future of CAFTA. These arguments are based on experience with other, more longer-lived, trade policies like NAFTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the U.S. Mexico dispute over the fishing, importation and sale of tuna caught using methods lethal to dolphins. It discusses the international and domestic environmental regulations governing the fishing and marketing of tuna-dolphins. The structure and asset specifity of the tuna industry are examined.

Zinapécuaro is located 50 km of Morelia, capital city of the state of Michoacan, this region has several problems because of domestic solid waste generated by 14 547 people; the actual disposal dump does not have any technical specifications, so it has environmental implications like soil, air and water pollution as well as unpleasant odors, harmful animals and groundwater resources pollution. The final disposition of solid waste in Zinapecuaro is one of the most critical and imperative problems to be solved. This study deals with basic technical proposal to establish the bases to select the suitable place for building a landfill according to the actual environmental regulation. The main criteria followed by this research were the Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM 083-SEMARNAT-2003 and four Mexican Technical Standards (NMX) that contain the procedures to determine the type of materials generated. According to statistical analysis applied to domestic solid waste sampling, the final disposition site at Zinapecuaro is classified as "C" type, the generation average is 0.62 kilograms per inhabitant per each day and the volumetric weight is 252.54 kg/m3. The kinds of rocks identify were basalts and volcanoclastic deposits range from Superior Triasic to Quaternary. Also presented lacustrine deposits and the most recent alluvial sediments are at the top of the stratigraphic column. The municipal authorities were interested in abandoned mine use for landfill, so Francisco Villa site fulfilled technical specifications for "C" type of disposal dump. We strongly recommend some specific studies as a compliment to this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The “Pollution Haven Hypothesis” is the prediction that trade liberalization will lead to the movement of polluting industries from high income/stringent environmental regulation countries to low income/lax environmental regulation countries. This prediction has led to concerns that NAFTA would be an environmental disaster for Mexico. The three articles included in this collection investigate the post-NAFTA environmental performance of Mexico using both aggregate data on pollution emissions as well as firm-level data on environmental abatement efforts. In this article, I summarize the contribution in the context of the trade/environmental literature and provide some suggestions for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the adoption of voluntary environmental management programs by firms operating in Mexico. Mexican firms can obtain national certification (Clean Industry) and/or international certification (ISO 14001). Based on institutional entrepreneurship theory, we posit that the role played by first movers as institutional entrepreneurs is crucial if these programs are to become established with sufficient strength and appeal. This understanding is especially important in an environment where more than one program can be adopted. We tested several hypotheses on the behaviors of 1328 facilities operating in Mexico, half of which (664) had certified environmental management programs. Of the 664 certified facilities, 217 were classified as early adopters. Three variables predicted the likelihood of a facility being an early adopter: (1) connected to international market, (2) in the maquila sector, and (3) linked to an industry association that offers free resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal ecosystems are attractive sites for tourism. In the central Pacific coast of Mexico in the La Boquita coastal system (LBCS), consisting of a beach and a coastal lagoon, the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) model was implemented for the spatial and temporal analysis of socio environmental indicators, aiming to gather information for decision-making and implementation of management strategies. The spatial occupation (umbrellas and tables) of the beach showed a 50–200% increase during the Easter season relative to the low season, while the area containing restaurants (called "ramadas") increased by 396% in 15 years, representing pressure on land use for tourism purposes. The density of beach users ranged from moderate to high (<10 m2/user) during the holiday seasons in the tourism area. The Trophic index (TRIX), used as an indicator of trophic status, revealed mesotrophic-to-eutrophic conditions in lagoon water due to the limited water exchange with the adjacent ocean and to DIN and DIP inputs from adjacent tourist areas. The analysis of the environmental legislation showed that law enforcement in the LBCS is poor or nil, with most environmental regulations either ignored or having inadequate enforcement monitoring. This has led to the current state of socio environmental disruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In the presence of imperfect information, voluntary certification can provide an important complement to mandatory inspections as a basis for environmental regulation in low income countries. Using data from Mexico's Clean Industry Program, we show that patterns of compliance and certification by sector are consistent with a model in which selection into the voluntary program permits more efficient targeting of regulator effort. As expected given the informational role played by certification in the model, we also find evidence, for a sample of publicly traded firms, of positive stock price deviations linked to the announcement of certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the National Environmental Audit Program, a co-regulatory approach established by the Mexican government for the enforcement of its environmental laws. It examines the use and concept of environmental co-regulation. It says that co-regulation in environmental law usually comes forth in industrializing countries for various reasons.

Abstract: This paper reports the results of extending a previous analysis of reductions in ozone exposures resulting from greenhouse gas reduction policies in Mexico, to the case of estimating reductions in premature death and risks of non-fatal diseases following reductions in both ozone and particulate matter exposures. The results show that a policy of greenhouse gas reduction in the Mexican economy by 77% relative to a baseline growth scenario results in reduced mortality loss of almost 3000 lives per year. The benefit in terms of non-fatal disease is 417,000 cases reduced per year, at a savings of $0.6B per year in cost of illness. These reductions in human health risk, stemming from co-benefits of climate change policies, are significant in light of targets of risk reduction typically used in environmental regulatory decisions, and would be considered important drivers of policy choice if climate policy were harmonised with other areas of risk-based environmental policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The goal is to analyze the environmental regulatory protection framework in México in face of the challenges that hydraulic fracturing represents for local drinking water sources. A descriptive methodology approach is applied, using the case of the U.S. as reference. The results indicate that current Mexican regulatory framework presents robust measures that highly restrict hydraulic fracturing however; given the complex nature of the process, an explicit ban hasn't been implemented. Conclusions indicate that the extraction of shale gas presents a high uncertainty level regarding its potential environmental impacts. Therefore efforts to eliminate the uncertainty should be taken to contribute to a socially responsible exploitation of this resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents some preliminary results of the research project entitled 'Development of a methodology for conducting the inventory, characterization and verification of sites potentially contaminated with Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS) in major agricultural areas of the state of Sonora': First, some approaches that emerge from the risk society regarding environmental issues in general and POPs in particular. Then, an approach to the problem of POPs that gave rise to the Stockholm Convention; the evidence of such a problem in Mexico, in Sonora and the obligations assumed by subscribing to such agreement. Nationally, the emphasis is placed on the analysis of environmental regulations related to toxics, and at state level, evidence shows the presence of POPs and their impact on the environment and on human health. Finally, the paper presents some reflections on the challenges and areas of opportunity for Mexico when dealing with problems associated to the presence of POPS, on the basis of following international guidelines, official regulations and analysis suggestions from the perspective of risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land histories originate in multiple disciplines. The corpus of thisresearch, however, does not link well to the science of global environmental change, despite explicit recognition by that science to incorporate land history. History and global change science would both benefit by such linkages, which necessitates the development of 'integrated land history.' This interdisciplinary research subject is identified here, illustrated through the Southern Yucatan Peninsular Regionproject. This project addresses tropical deforestation and agricultural change in a frontier 'hot spot' of biotic diversity. It seeks to inform environmental and global change science, including its human and modeling dimensions. Emphasis is placed on the mutual benefits forboth land history and global change studies created by the integration in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based solely on the personal criteria and experience of the staff, the environmental authorities in Mexico decide if any proposed productive project requires an environmental impact study. If the staff requires one, it can be assigned at three different levels: general, intermediate, and specific. The differences in time and cost to develop each level of study are large. There is no quantitative tool in Mexicoto support, with objective criteria, the decisions of the environmental authority staff. Therefore, final decision is subjected to multiple pressures and interpretations. We propose a new quantitative method to support, objectively, the decision of the environmental authorities. The method is based on ecological criteria with a quantitative scale, and it is directed toward harbor and port projects. Supported by this method, the environmental authorities in Mexico can accuratelydetermine if a new project requires an environmental impact study. If the project requires one, the method determines the level required.This method can be easily adapted to any other productive activity, and to any other country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a multiperiodoptimization approach to the cost-effective reduction of the negativeimpact caused by discharging industrial effluents into watersheds.The model considers all discharges and extractions, as well as thechemical reactions carried out in the watershed, while accountingfor the seasonal variability of the system through the year. The proposedmodel is based on a material flow analysis applied to a distributedtreatment system for industrial effluents in a macroscopic water system.The problem is formulated as a multiobjective optimization model withthe objectives of simultaneously minimizing the pollutant concentrationsin the final catchment areas and the total annual cost of the waste-treatmentunits. The model selects the place to locate the treatment units andthe type of treatment technology, as well as the industrial effluentstreated in each period of the year, to satisfy the environmental regulations.Two case studies are presented to show the applicability of the proposedoptimization approach: one is the Bahr El-Baqar drain in Egypt andthe other one is the Balsas watershed in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]