Climate Change Conferences in Mexico - French Embassy in Mexico

Derived form the first of five Wednesday Conferences on Climate Change that are taking place in the French Embassy in Mexico during October and November, three specialists – among them Dr. José Sarukhán, National Coordinator of the National Commission of Biodiversity (CONABIO) – were invited to the French Residence to approach the “Effects of the Climate Change”.

French Ambassador to Mexico, Mr. Daniel Parfait, presented the context and what the expectations were about the development of this project in vespers of the XVI Conference of the Parts (COP 16) of the UN Convention on Climate Change (CCNUCC), which is going to be held in Cancun from November 29 to December 10, 2010. The Ambassador exhorted Mexico to share the same convictions towards Climate Change as France and to work actively to achieve a bilateral agreement during the Conference in Cancun.

Dr. Sarukhán expose the causes and effects of climate change, stating that this phenomena is just one of the phases of the global climatic change – that also implies the destruction of the biodiversity – which is caused by two basic problems: the total world population growth and the demand of energy and natural resources. Dr. Sarukhán also described the symptoms of climate change such as the raise in global temperature, the ice melting in the polar caskets and glaciers and the number magnitude and frequency of cyclones.

During the second part of the debate Mr. Renaud Fichez, Investigator of the Institute for Research and Development (IRD), spoke about the activities performed by the Climate Change Observatories in different levels. Information gathered by the observatories has allowed scientists to diagnose, explain and sometimes anticipate the climatic evolution. Mr. Fichez gave an overview of the French initiatives regarding this subject, explaining in detail the work of the observatories at sea. Finally, Patricia Muñoz, Director of the Interdisciplinary Center of Research and Studies of the Environment of the Mexican Polytechnic Institute (IPN), explained the history and the challenges faced by the Jacques-Yves Cousteau Observatory of the Seas and Coastlines.

This Institution, based on the “French experience and Mexican scientific capabilities”, was first created in 2009 to allow the observation and prevention of Mexican seas. Patricia Muñoz considered that this observatory responds to a real and true need in Mexico, particularly because of the absence or lack of reliable information sources that could help implement new laws and politics.

Mr. Javier Cruz Mena, Senior Investigator of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (UNAM), conducted the debate. At the end of the event, the general public as well as other specialists had the opportunity to ask questions. The Ambassador concluded the Conference offering a cocktail and announcing the subject of the next Conference: “Energy and Climate Change”.