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While the agricultural sector contributes the economic growth, it also induces GHGs and causes environmental degradation. The effect of agriculture activities on environmental degradation receives attention last several years in environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) literature. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of agriculture activities (AGRI), energy consumption (EC), foreign direct investment (FDI), and trade openness (TO) on CO2 in the context of EKC hypothesis for the Next Eleven countries in the period of 1991–2019. For this purpose, we employ common correlated effects mean group estimator (CCEMG) to obtain panel and country-specific results. In addition, Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test is used to examine the pairwise causal relationship between variables. The results show that the EKC hypothesis, the inverted U-shape relationship between CO2 and GDP, is valid for Bangladesh, Mexico, Nigeria, Turkey, and the panel. FDI has significantly positive association with CO2 for South Korea and the panel. TO has significantly negative association with CO2 for Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mexico, and the panel but significantly positive relationship with CO2 in Philippines. Moreover, the focus variable AGRI has significantly negative association with CO2 for Bangladesh, Turkey, and the panel but significantly positive relationship with CO2 for Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dispute Resolution under USMCA: Modifications to NAFTA And the Potential Implications In this article the author discusses the differences in the dispute resolution mechanisms between the North American Free Trade Agreement and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The author notes that while all three dispute resolution mechanisms from NAFTA are present in USMCA, two of the mechanisms have been extensively modified. The author is critical of the Trump Administration's insistence on eliminating NAFTA's Chapter 11 provisions on investor-state dispute settlements, leading to a severely weakened ISDS mechanism in USMCA. State-to-state dispute settlement (Chapter 20 under NAFTA) was also significantly modified. The third dispute resolution mechanism, a binational panel process that was covered in Chapter 19 of NAFTA, survived with only minor changes as insisted upon by Canada. As the most extensive changes were made to investor-state dispute settlements and state-to-state dispute settlements, the author analyzes these two dispute resolution mechanisms in detail. The author dissects the changes made to these dispute resolution mechanisms and provides insight into the rationale of the countries involved that led to the changes. The author concludes that with Canada's refusal to sign on to Annex 14-D and a drastically diluted ISDS mechanism governing ISDs between the United States and Mexico, the most likely outcome under USMCA is that there will be a dramatic increase in Chapter 31 claims when the United States is involved and a heavy reliance on the CPTPP for claims between Mexico and Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study how electoral competition and party system fragmentation affect local environmental public goods provision. When the effective number of political parties is too low, there is not enough competition to incentivize service provision by the incumbent. Increasing the number of parties in this scenario strengthens electoral competition and the incentive for the incumbent to deliver public goods. However, when the number of political parties is too high, the system becomes too fragmented to produce beneficial outcomes in public goods provision. We therefore expect a U-shaped relationship between the effective number of parties and local air pollution. Based on a Mexican municipal panel data of 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014, our empirical analysis confirms this theoretical expectation: PM2.5 pollution goes down with the effective number of parties before the latter reaches the value around three; after this point, air pollution goes up with the effective number of parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authorities depict noncompliance by public officials (POs) as a problematic deviation they seek to address by several means. This article discusses the problem as a situation where the public's reframing opportunities guide POs toward the acceptance of noncompliant behavior. This novel approach is underpinned by a behavioral model of decision-making processes. The pre-decision-making processes of POs are altered by actors who reframe efforts through narratives that affect the way POs make sense of a situation, their evaluation of the appropriateness of alternative actions, and their willingness to accept rule breaking. We use administrative corruption as a case of noncompliance to design a survey experiment applied to POs in a local government in Mexico. The survey adapts rationalizations of administrative corruption to test how narrative frames affect PO decision making, where a zone of noncompliance becomes acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The port of Veracruz is one of the most important ports in Mexico and is currently in the process of a major expansion. The new port area, "Bahía Norte", will be three times larger than the current port, "Bahía Sur". Atmospheric emissions from the Veracruz port system, specifically from the engines of ships undergoing maneuvering and hotelling operations, were determined on a daily basis from 2018 to 2019 for sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), particles (PM), particles smaller than 10 micrometers (PM10), particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and carbon dioxide (CO2). A bottom-up method was used to estimate the atmospheric emissions, based on official data from the European Environment Agency. The method utilizes on technical information on the type of ship, the power of the main engine (ME) and auxiliary engine (AE), load factor, specific fuel consumption, and spent time in the maneuvering and hotelling phases. The highest atmospheric emissions occurred in the hotelling phase. For the "Bahía Sur" emissions (Mg/year) were 328.6, 993.3, 122.3, 30.6, 22.9, 19.1, 18.5 and 52,723.4 for SO2, NOx, CO, NMVOC, PM, PM10, PM2.5 and CO2, respectively. For "Bahía Norte" the corresponding emissions were 43.9, 132.7, 16.3, 4.1, 3.1, 2.5, 2.3 and 7,040.9, also in the hotelling phase. The average combined of the atmospheric emissions from maneuvering and hotelling phases (Mg/year) were 1.18, 3.49, 0.44, 0.13, 0.09, 0.08, 0.07, and 189.23 for SO2, NOx, CO, NMVOC, PM, PM10, PM2.5 and CO2, respectively. During the 2018–2019 period of the study the "Bahía Sur" contributed ~87% and the "Bahía Norte" ~13% of the atmospheric emissions. Implications: The atmospheric emissions reported in this study can be used for the simulation of air quality considering environmental or photochemical pollution models, since atmospheric emissions are reported on a daily basis and compliance with air quality can be monitored considering the reference-concentration established by the Official Mexican Standards in order to propose prevention, minimization and control measures. In addition, the analysis of the information that was carried out in this study may be applied to other port systems in Mexico that are located on the Pacific coast and the Gulf-Caribbean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atmospheric Pb emissions (1901–2019), from one of the world's largest non-ferrous metallurgical complexes (Met-Mex in Torreón, México), were estimated based on historical records of modifications in the design, processes, and production volumes. Eight historical periods, with differing amounts of Pb emissions, were distinguished: (1) Essentially no controls (1901–1960); (2) migration to limited controls (1961–1972) by conversion to a Pb-Zn smelter-refining complex and installation of SO2 collectors in 1961–1963; (3) completion to limited control (1973–1977) by the installation of a third H2SO4 collector and a low-efficiency filtration system; (4) maintenance of limited control with no changes (1978–1987); (5) migration to strict control (1988 to 1998) by updating H2SO4 collectors and installation of fertilizer and SO2 liquid extraction plants; (6) completion to strict control (1999–2000) by the installation of state-art technology filtration systems and roofing working areas; (7) migration to abatement (2001–2003) by implantation of good management practices; and (8) maintenance of abatement following good management practices (2004–2019). Based on differences between those periods, we reconstructed the evolution of the Pb emission reduction efficiency (ER in %) and Pb emission factors (EF in gram/ton) for the Torreón complex. Pb emitted by the complex over the past 118 years totaled 23,350–27,580 t, with most of it (63–75%) occurring when emission controls were negligible (pre-1960 period). In comparisons with other facilities worldwide (e.g., the USA, Canada, and Europa), the modification in Met-Mex for control the Pb emission occurred several years. Emissions from the primary Pb-Zn smelter-refining are released mostly to the atmosphere from the sintering, smelting, drossing, and refining. While Pb emissions from the facility have declined by over an order of magnitude to contemporary levels (≤ 12.6 t/year), the current Pb rates still account for atmospheric Pb levels that are 2–3 times higher the USEPA standard and still constitutes a major health threat in Torreón. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without depreciating the importance of environmental regulations directed to university environmental managements systems in this country, nowadays, the instruments of international importance like the Sustainable Development Goals or ONU's 2030 Agenda; as well as those of domestic nature, like sustainability indicators proposed by the Mexican Consortium of University Environmental Programs for Sustainable Development (Complexus) to measure the contribution of Higher Education Institutions to sustainability (HES), and those indicated by the Interinstitutional Committees for Higher Education Evaluation (CIEES) and the organisms that make up the Council for the Accreditation of Higher Education (COPAES), pose great challenges to universities as institutions that form human capital who are aware of their relationship with nature. This forces the university to rebuild its sustainability view based on the premise that all activities relative to its substantive functions are related to socio-environmental issues on the region. Due to this, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), coherent to its environmental management institutional plan, defined in the Institutional Development Plan, must structure a series of indicators which allow the evaluation of its sustainability policy. The purpose of this research is to develop an environmental management model bound to performance indicators that allow UABC to progressively assume the task of answering the environmental challenges posed by its surroundings, trying to strengthen its curricula, in order for its programs to be more relevant and appropriate with social, economic, cultural, and environmental priorities.

Copyright of Dyna is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellin, Facultad de Minas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Enviromental Sciences & Natural Resources / Revista de Ciencias Ambientales & Recursos Naturale is the property of ECORFAN-Mexico S.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Biologia Marina y Oceanografía (RBMO) is the property of Universidad de Valparaiso, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A case study was conducted to evaluate the SO2 emission reduction in a power plant in Central Mexico, as a result of the shifting of fuel oil to natural gas. Emissions of criteria pollutants, greenhouse gases, organic and inorganic toxics were estimated based on a 2010 report of hourly fuel oil consumption at the "Francisco Pérez Ríos" power plant in Tula, Mexico. For SO2, the dispersion of these emissions was assessed with the CALPUFF dispersion model. Emissions reductions of > 99% for SO2, PM and Pb, as well as reductions >50% for organic and inorganic toxics were observed when simulating the use of natural gas. Maximum annual (993 µg/m3) and monthly average SO2 concentrations were simulated during the cold-dry period (152–1063 µg/m3), and warm-dry period (239–432 µg/m3). Dispersion model results and those from Mexico City's air quality forecasting system showed that SO2 emissions from the power plant affect the north of Mexico City in the cold-dry period. The evaluation of model estimates with 24 hr SO2 measured concentrations at Tepeji del Rio suggests that the combination of observations and dispersion models are useful in assessing the reduction of SO2 emissions due to shifting in fuels. Being SO2 a major precursor of acid rain, high transported sulfate concentrations are of concern and low pH values have been reported in the south of Mexico City, indicating that secondary SO2 products emitted in the power plant can be transported to Mexico City under specific atmospheric conditions. Implications: Although the surroundings of a power plant located north of Mexico City receives most of the direct SO2 impact from fuel oil emissions, the plume is dispersed and advected to the Mexico City metropolitan area, where its secondary products may cause acid rain. The use of cleaner fuels may assure significant SO2 reductions in the plant emissions and consequent acid rain presence in nearby populated cities and should be compulsory in critical areas to comply with annual emission limits and health standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal zones (CZ) are social-ecological systems where rapid forms of economic development are disrupting the existing patterns of relationships, raising challenges for governance. Institutional flexibility, broad participation, multilevel governance, and adaptability have been identified as critical conditions for the governance of social-ecological systems. While the importance of agency, through the substantive participation of private actors in rulemaking, has been researched, there is a need to examine the dynamics involved in, and consequence of, hybrid governance arrangements. An empirical study is presented of hybrid governance, involving federal and local government and locally based private actors from civil society organizations, environmental non-government organizations and local business interest associations, in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The CZ of Quintana Roo is facing pressures from economic development, mainly tourism, with consequences for water pollution and fisheries. Through qualitative, mixed methods, we found that a thick network of private actors has mobilized to play an important role in environmental management and to act in collaboration with the State. Multiple rationales account for this development, including high levels of environmental awareness, particularly with respect to water pollution, while the lack of institutional capacity also motivates state actors to seek partnerships. While private governance is emerging, our data reveal a complex case, where private actor mobilization seeks to promote better regulations, to share data and resources, and to improve implementation capacity within the public administration. Hybrid governance contributes to effective environmental governance of the CZ. However, this can also risk state retreat from its public responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The validity of soil toxicity databases for predicting ecological impacts in the field is rarely explored. The present study was set up to test whether laboratory toxicity data and the combined concepts of metal availability and mixture toxicity can predict ecological impact in mining‐affected soils. Metal and As contamination gradients were sampled approximately 5 different mines in Mexico where plant cover and abundances exhibited clear dose‐related responses. Soils were analyzed for total and isotopically exchangeable (labile) concentrations of Ni, Cu, Cd, Pb, and As and for soil properties affecting the availability of these elements. Six different indices of toxic doses were compared to evaluate their accuracy in describing the field response expressed as relative abundance and cover. Each index was based on a different method to calculate the sum of toxic units (ΣTUs) in soil, with 1 toxic unit equal to the concentration of the element in soil yielding 50% adverse effect on plants with median sensitivity as recorded in a recent database of salt‐spiked soils. Toxic concentrations in the mine‐impacted soils were dominated by Zn and As. In the field, 50% reduced cover or abundance was found at 10 to 13 ΣTUs if these were based on total soil concentrations and thresholds derived from freshly spiked soils, indicating a largely overestimated toxic effect. If thresholds were corrected for differences in availability among freshly spiked soils and spiked and laboratory‐aged soils, the overestimation of field toxicity was 5‐ to 6‐fold, irrespective of the consideration of soil properties. Finally, the ΣTU calculated only with labile metals and As overestimated the field toxicity by factors 1.1 to 1.6 (95% confidence interval 1–7; i.e., rather accurate and indicating some Zn–As antagonism as confirmed in experimental studies). That latter index of dose yielded a bell‐shaped response on species richness peaking at approximately 1.6 ΣTU. Overall, the present study shows that the current toxicity databases of metals can predict the impact of metal contamination on plant communities within factor 2, expressing the dose as soil‐labile concentrations and using the concentration addition concept in these mixed polluted environments. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:1826–1838. © 2020 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley's (LGRV) protected lands are at risk from the construction of President Trump's border wall. The Real ID Act of 2005 granted the executive branch unprecedented power to waive any law that interferes with border security infrastructure, while the Secure Fence Act of 2006 mandated 700 miles of barrier along the U.S.–Mexico border. The Trump administration has issued waivers that circumvent 28 federal environmental laws in the LRGV. Land governance in these protected lands has been altered to accommodate increased security operations and infrastructure. We are interested in how the state resolves internal contradictions between environmental stewardship and border security. Our research utilizes ethnographic field research and document analysis methods. Based on our analysis, we conceptualize abrogation as a tactic of state power that removes the legal responsibility of the state; yet, still compels the state to legitimate its actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baseline knowledge of spatial and temporal distribution patterns is essential for cetacean management and conservation. Such knowledge is particularly important in areas where gillnet fishing occurs, as the Upper Gulf of California, which increases the probability of bycatch of cetaceans. In this area, the vacquita porpoise (Phocoena sinus) has been widely studied, but the knowledge of other cetaceans is scarce and based on traditional visual survey methods. We used data collected by an array of acoustic click detectors (C-PODs) during the summers 2011 to 2015 to analyze the distribution of dolphins in the Vacquita Refuge in the Upper Gulf of California. We recorded 120,038 echolocation click trains of dolphins during 12,371 days of recording effort at 46 sampling sites. Based on simultaneous visual and acoustic data, we estimated a false positive acoustic detection rate of 19.4%. Dolphin acoustic activity varied among sites, with higher activity in the east of the Vacquita Refuge. Acoustic activity was higher at night than during the day. We used negative binomial generalized linear models to study the count of clicks of dolphins in relation to spatial, temporal, physical, biological and anthropogenic explanatory variables. The best model selected for the response variable included sampling site, day-night condition, and vertical component of tide speed. Patterns in the spatial distribution of predicted acoustic activity of dolphins were similar to the acoustic activity observed per sampling season. Higher acoustic activity was predicted at night, but the tide speed variable was not relevant under this condition. Acoustic activity patterns could be related to the availability of prey resources since echolocation click trains are associated with foraging activities of dolphins. This is the first study of the distribution of dolphins in Mexico using medium-term systematic passive acoustic monitoring, and the results can contribute to better [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecotourism can incentivize social and environmental benefits through marine conservation, in parallel with efforts to better manage fisheries, coastal development, and other human pressures. In Mexico's Gulf of California and Baja California Peninsula (GCBP), marine ecosystems support tourism activities in many communities, but to date there have been no region‐wide studies to estimate their benefits or identify key species. Based on data collected in this study, each year nature‐based marine tourism in the GCBP results in 896,000 visits, US$518 million in expenditures and at least 3,575 direct jobs from formal operations. In interviews with operators, over 40 species groups were named as important; sea lions, whale sharks, whales, and marlin were the highest ranked, highlighting the importance of ecosystem‐wide health for nature‐based tourism sustainability. Local employment and the ability to make economic and conservation goals compatible were noted by operators as significant opportunities provided by nature‐based marine tourism; challenges included pollution and declines in ecosystem health, a lack of infrastructure, poor resource management policies, and high operating costs. As nature‐based marine tourism expands, a wider transition to true ecotourism, a focus on equitable benefits and collaboration between stakeholders and a cross‐scale and ecosystem approach to management will be vital for achieving potential sustainable social, ecological and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines an environmental conflict between Mayan communities and governmental authorities in Mexico's Yucatan region. Mayan beekeepers attributed severe economic losses in honey production to the expansion of genetically engineered (GE) soy plantations. Beekeeping of Apis mellifera or "European" honey bees for the purposes of honey export is a key source of livelihood for Mayan communities. Mayan beekeepers mobilized to bring about a moratorium on GE-soy planting, but GE-seed corporations and farmers persuaded the government to lift the moratorium. We show that there is much more to the Mayan beekeepers' resistance than their livelihood stakes in "European" bees. Focusing on historically shaped relationships between Mayan communities, milpa crops and indigenous Melipona bees, we develop the idea of interspecies alliance to explain the resistance of Mayan communities to the spread of GE-soy. Through ethnographically oriented fieldwork and archival research, our study sheds light on conjoined milpa-Melipona-Maya worlds struggling together to resist and survive in the face of interpenetrating climates of globalized capital and localized socio-ecological degradation. We also examine how the interspecies assemblage of milpa-Melipona-Maya has been transformed in the process through alliances with international foundations, religious groups, scientists, activists and alternative technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent coffee leaf rust epidemic has generated a severe fall in Coffea arabica production throughout Mexico and Central America. This paper analyzes the social–ecological crisis presented by the Hemileia vastatrix outbreak, with a focus on how global, regional and national dynamics interact with local processes in the Chiapas Sierra Madre of south-eastern Mexico, a biodiversity hotspot with a tradition of smallholder, shade-grown coffee production. We explore the hypothesis that the current coffee rust epidemic is an expression of global environmental change, with implications for legal frameworks and international efforts towards risk management and climate change adaptation. Addressing debates on legal resilience building, we illustrate how mismatches of scale between social–ecological phenomena and legal and institutional arrangements may generate pathological solutions for small-scale coffee producers and shade-grown coffee ecosystems. Thereafter, using the analytical lens of modularity, the paper sheds light on landscape stewardship to reduce the risks of non-resilient characteristics such as isolation, on the one hand, and on the other, over-connectedness of habitat patches in the landscape of importance for ecosystem functions at larger scales. The interdisciplinary framework leads to recognizing the role of institutions and legal arrangements which are not limited to national boundaries in proposing solutions to this social–ecological crisis. We find that matching scales of law with agroforestry systems can be done through a variety of legal and policy instruments to contribute to resilience building. This matching of scales is vital to safeguarding biodiversity's global benefits and the right of small-scale coffee farmers to a healthy and sustainable environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article was to determine whether the strategic orientation of family-owned businesses influences Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices. For this purpose, a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 245 family-owned businesses in the southern part of the southeastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Variables attributed to CSR measurements were environment, society, employees, and customers, as well as business-level strategies of prospector, analyzer, defender, and reactor as defined by Miles and Snow. Results showed that family-owned businesses with a strategic orientation as prospector and analyzer have higher development levels of CSR practices, reactor businesses demonstrated lower development levels of CSR practices. Prospector and analyzer businesses tend to be product developers and innovators in their respective markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Textual is the property of Universidad Autonoma Chapingo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Mayan Biosphere Reserve in the region of Petén, Guatemala and the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico have well-established experiences of community-based forestry and community forestry enterprises within the area known as the Mayan forest. Context has been a key factor shaping the trajectories of these two cases. Several scholars have highlighted the usefulness of understanding the role of context in the emergence and functioning of common property regimes. However, scholarship has been dominated by the mainstream school of common property, which sees these regimes as arising out of voluntary, rational action with the main intent of conserving a common-pool natural resource. This paper seeks to answer the call for more research on context for common property regimes. The article discusses how policies, history, and culture have shaped the trajectory of community forestry in both countries. Policies present choices, opportunities, and constraints, while history and culture can facilitate or hinder taking advantage of such opportunities. Communities have agency not only to react, but also to adapt. These two cases present overriding themes that strengthen the alternative literature on common property regimes and also offer lessons to policy makers, practitioners, nongovernmental organizations, and communities practicing forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abandoned mine tailings are considered as one of the main sources of potentially toxic elements. Because of the lack of supervision, particularly from small-scale or artisanal mining, abandoned tailings have become part of the natural landscape, especially in rural areas from developing countries. Abandoned mine tailings represent a latent problem in terms of the possible affectations to human health and the environment. An example of this is the small-sized (~ 200 × ~ 300 m) abandoned mine tailings located ~ 500 m south of San Felipe de Jesus town, Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The mineralogy determined in mine tailings samples consists of divalent hydrated metal sulfates (rozenite, starkeyite, kieserite, szomolnokite and epsomite), trivalent hydrated metal sulfates (coquimbite) and divalent-trivalent hydrated sulfates (copiapite), which are highly soluble efflorescent minerals associated with acid mine drainage. Rozenite was detected in road dust samples, evidencing that dust is dispersed and transported from abandoned residues. In order to assess the possible impact of the tailings (un-oxidized, oxidized, efflorescent minerals), concentrations of potentially toxic elements (total and soluble fractions) in samples from mine tailings, unpaved road soils and road dust from San Felipe de Jesús were determined. Average concentrations (ppm) of potential toxic elements in mine tailings samples ranged from 16,756–1306 (As), 665–98 (Cd), 5691–338 (Cu), 14,162–832 (Pb), 492–82 (Sb), 176,219–8285 (Zn). Enrichment factors determined in mine tailings, agricultural soils and road dust exhibit similar patterns, differing only in level of enrichment, which also confirms the dispersion of potentially toxic elements toward surroundings. Contamination Index (CI) and Hazard Average Quotient (HAQ) were calculated in mine tailings to assess potential contamination associated with potentially toxic elements dispersed by aeolian and/or hydric processes, respectively. The CI values suggest that mine tailing materials have a high potential for polluting soils and sediments. Semi-arid conditions of the region favor the suspension and transport of contaminants, potentially affecting surrounding agricultural fields and population. The HAQ values from efflorescence minerals and mine tailings indicate that potential of toxicity is very high, and might affect the quality of water (groundwater and surficial) in the region. CI and HAQ can provide a good estimation of pollution hazards associated with the abandoned mine tailings in the San Felipe de Jesús area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the subnational flow in foreign direct investment (FDI) to Mexican states, with a focus on the finished vehicle industry. Although prior studies have examined subnational FDI in Mexico, research on the automobile sector has been scant. Utilizing a framework associated with the theory of asset specificity, we examine the influence of human capital and labor conditions, infrastructure, subnational policies, and security. The study employs a data set on finished vehicle FDI across 31 states and the Federal district for the period of 2004–2014. We adopt a two‐part model. The first part, which includes all states and the Federal district, is estimated with pooled logistic and Firth logistic regressions. In the second part, we examine variation in levels of FDI among states selected for investment with pooled ordinary least squares with panel‐corrected and Driscoll Kraay standard errors. Labor conditions are significant for both state selection and levels of FDI, but education is influential only in the selection stage. In addition, states with trunk rail lines linked to the U.S. border are more likely to be selected and receive higher FDI. After controlling for these influences, murder and homicide rates, and state development have no significant effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Espacios is the property of Talleres de Impresos Oma and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An environmental improvement program was implemented to reduce population exposure to manganese in the manganese mining district of Molango, in Mexico. This paper analyzes whether social representations about mining activity changed after the program and examines their implications for risk management. We used a qualitative design to compare prior with current social representations. Region residents insist that contamination affects their environment and health. In contrast, public officials and mining company staff find no evidence of harm; they regard mining as a source of regional and community development. Our findings indicate that residents know little about the environmental program. These representations hinder the achievement of cooperation agreements and risk management. We recommend that manganese risk management implements a comprehensive environmental recovery program that includes the perspectives of all the social actors. Social representation theory served to understand the discourses of social actors on manganese mining, taking into account their social context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The framework proposed by Ostrom (2009) has become one of the most utilized tools to address the complexity of social-ecological systems. Most cases use this framework to analyze the systems from the perspective of a single resource unit. However, the livelihoods in several coastal communities are diverse, so that the users interact with multiple common-pool resources, which makes their analysis difficult. In this sense, it is important to identify the key elements of management to achieve the sustainable use of the resources. In this study, we were able to do this in a coastal community where commercial fishing, ecotourism, and recreational fishing coexist. The system of interest, located in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, was subdivided by resource type using a multi-method approach to data collection including surveys, interviews, and records review. A conceptual map was developed that shows how the second-tier variables are integrated through the governance and actors with the biophysical system. The actors involved in lobster fishing achieved a more complex governance system, followed by the ecotourism and recreational fishing; the complexity of the governance was related with the equity level of the actors. The analysis revealed the research gaps to develop management strategies and improve the sustainability of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the nonlinear relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and the ecological footprint (EF), trying to confirm the pollution haven hypothesis (PHH). We use a panel data model for MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey) countries in the period 1990–2013 and an empirical framework based on the pollution haven hypothesis (PHH). Using the fully modified least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) econometric methodologies, the empirical results confirm an inverted-U relationship between FDI and the ecological footprint. To reinforce our analysis, we check the connection between economic growth and the ecological footprint, validating the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for MINT countries. Finally, we also confirm a negative connection between renewable energy use, the urbanization process, and the changes in the ecological footprint. These findings offer a series of useful recommendations for policymakers, where the promotion of clean industries and energy-efficiency actions are essential for reducing environmental damage in MINT countries. We highlight the viability of the ecological footprint as a first-order environmental indicator whose evolution is determined by demographic fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 2015 Paris Agreement, nations worldwide pledged emissions reductions (Nationally Determined Contributions—NDCs) to avert the threat of climate change, and agreed to periodically review these pledges to strengthen their level of ambition. Previous studies have analyzed NDCs largely in terms of their implied contribution to limit global warming, their implications on the energy sector or on mitigation costs. Nevertheless, a gap in the literature exists regarding the understanding of implications of the NDCs on countries’ Energy-Water-Land nexus resource systems. The present paper explores this angle within the regional context of Latin America by employing the Global Change Assessment Model, a state-of-the-art integrated assessment model capable of representing key system-wide interactions among nexus sectors and mitigation policies. By focusing on Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia, we stress potential implications on national-level water demands depending on countries’ strategies to enforce energy-related emissions reductions and their interplays with the land sector. Despite the differential implications of the Paris pledges on each country, increased water demands for crop and biomass irrigation and for electricity generation stand out as potential trade-offs that may emerge under the NDC policy. Hence, this study underscores the need of considering a nexus resource planning framework (known as “Nexus Approach”) in the forthcoming NDCs updating cycles as a mean to contribute toward sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence time distribution in Santa María La Reforma coastal lagoon, which is one of the most productive ecosystems in Mexico, has been numerically investigated. A depth integrated finite difference hydrodynamic model, coupled with the advection-diffusion equation and an approach known as remnant function, have been used to predict the influence time distributions. Prescribed values of tidal harmonics were used to force the model at the two open boundaries of the model domain. The numerical experiments performed consisted of the instantaneous injection, of a passive hypothetical tracer at 100% concentration, to the whole coastal lagoon which was subject to the wind action and tidal forcing. The results indicate that influence time fluctuated between a few days and 4.0 months. The longest values were predicted close to the Talchichitle Island in the eastern part of the lagoon while the shortest were found close to the inlets where the relatively deep channels and high speed tidal currents favor the discharge of the tracer into the ocean. Knowledge of the influence time distribution is very useful to assess the environmental impacts of contaminants and to establish management plans for coastal lagoons conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Pollutants and microbiota present in the residual sludge of hydraulic fracturing were determined and characterized physicochemically. Analyses included determination of pH, electric conductivity, organic matter percentage, as well as total carbonates, inorganic nitrogen and extractable phosphorous. In addition, presence of hydrocarbons by gas chromatography, potentially toxic elements (PTEs) by atomic absorption and presence of radioactive isotopes by gamma spectrometry were determined. Moreover, fungi and bacteria present in the residual sludge were classified taxonomically to the level of genus. Medium and heavy hydrocarbon fractions were found in concentrations above the maximum limits permitted (MLP) by Mexican environmental norms. Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe and Mg, however, were below the MLP. Likewise, gamma spectrometry analysis revealed naturally occurring Ac228, Ra226 and K40. The microbiological analysis found presence of the bacteria Bacillus spp., Micrococcus sp., Diplococcus sp. and Staphylococcus sp. and the fungi Trichoderma sp., Aspergillus sp. and Penicillium spp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research analyzes four ongoing water conflicts in Jalisco state, Mexico, through the lens of constitutionality. Constitutionality refers to a bottom-up institution building process based on the activation of emic perceptions of people who are often marginalized in policymaking, as well as on alliances with external actors, with the aim of achieving recognition by the state of self-created institutions. Results show that the constitutionality concept helps to link analysis of local people’s resistance movements against top-down water policies with an emerging process of institutional innovation that aims for more sustainable water governance. Local institutional innovations embody the principles of water justice; these are recognized by the state as being part of its own Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) policy, and thus find their way into state policy arenas. This analysis provided the basis for the formulation of a conceptual framework that integrates water conflicts, water justice, and IWRM into the concept of constitutionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active volcanoes are among the most extreme environments on Earth. The extreme temperatures, presence of toxic heavy metals and low nutrient bioavailability favor the development of extremophiles. We characterized the physical-chemical parameters of and bacterial communities (T-RFLP and 16S rRNA gene libraries) inhabiting fumarole niches of the Paricutín volcano located in Michoacán (Mexico). This volcano, which surged in 1943, is one of the youngest volcanoes on Earth and the microbial diversity in this area is yet to be characterized. The sampling stations were characterized in a pH range from 5.34 to 7.89 and showed different temperatures (soil, 27-87 °C; air, 13.6-56 °C) with high concentrations of metals such as iron and arsenic. The most abundant bacterial populations, confirmed by T-RFLP and 16S rRNA gene libraries, were related to members of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria phyla including sequences associated with thermophiles and sulfate reducing bacteria. Overall, the Paricutín volcano showed low bacterial diversity and its prokaryotic diversity was characterized by the impossibility of amplifying Archaea-related sequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the globe, grain farmers face considerable volatility in international prices for their harvests, now considered commodities. Several years ago, the Mexican government implemented subsidy programs to protect farmers and firms from the risks entailed in price volatility. In this article, I analyze the characteristics and limitations of these programs as well as effects on maize producers and feed enterprises in the state of Puebla, Mexico. Among the findings is the fact that while these programs offer important advantages to the participants, the buyer-seller contracts are often breached as a result of climatic disasters, differences in relative prices (international versus open market), and changes in international exchange rates. The program resources are also concentrated in the hands of a few producers and firms, as well as geographically. I reflect on the need to reorient agricultural policy in Mexico, directing the resources devoted to the government hedging strategy to less regressive programs, such as direct income support for the producer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]