The President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador during the meeting with John Kerry, on his right, and part of his cabinet MEXICO PRESIDENTIAL (via REUTERS)
Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s government will formally commit to accelerating the clean energy transition with a series of concrete measures at the multilateral forum of the Summit of the World’s Major Economists on Friday. Including “Cultivate solar energy through the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE)” and “Work with the private sector to this end”. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said this Tuesday after the meeting of the White House climate commissioner, John Kerry, with the Mexican President and part of his cabinet. It is the fourth time the veteran Democratic politician has met with the president to raise energy and environmental issues, and on this occasion he is confident the neighboring country’s government will encourage private investment in renewable sources.
The Joe Biden administration has repeatedly expressed concern over Mexico’s energy policy, fueled largely by electrical reform that has hitherto stalled due to lack of consensus, and has sought to bring positions closer together on that front. Kerry’s new visit comes against this backdrop. But other circumstances also come into play in this encounter. It took place just as the ninth Summit of the Americas was ending in Los Angeles, a date that López Obrador did not attend due to his disagreement with the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, and on the eve of the multilateral forum convened for it on Friday 17th April June.
In other words, the purpose of the meeting, from a US perspective, was to smooth out the rough edges of the past week and avoid surprises at Friday’s summit. The conversation lasted more than two hours. Secretary of State Ebrard has called it “quite interesting” and reaffirmed Mexico’s commitment to “meet the 35% clean energy target” and more. “The president asked us to raise it,” he added.
Outside the gates of the National Palace, Kerry has stated that López Obrador was very forthright about his energy commitments and was convinced there would be no problems for private sector investment, a constant assertion by Washington after fears provoked by the return of most of the market to the CFE, a state-owned company. “And the President was very clear. It has made decisions to try and make it easier for these companies to move forward, do business and also send a message: that the private sector will be able to invest in various ways and be part of this transition . We all know that no one can do it alone. No government can do it alone. No company can do it alone. We must work together and be partners in the future. And I think President López Obrador is very committed to that,” Biden’s envoy said.
In addition to the President and Ebrard, the Minister of the Interior, Adán Augusto López, also attended the meeting; the treasury, Rogelio Ramírez de la O; Energy Minister Rocío Nahle; the Secretary General of the CFE, Manuel Bartlett; and Pemex Secretary General Octavio Romero Oropeza. “We met again with John Kerry, the US President’s special envoy for climate change. Commitments in the areas of energy and the environment have been pursued. He is a respectful, forgiving and goal-oriented person,” said López Obrador at the end of the meeting. Announcing the appointment in his morning press briefing on Monday, the President said that “the United States has a serious problem because it already averages more than $5 a gallon of gasoline.” “And do you know why they are suffering from this crisis in the United States and in other countries? Because the speculators, the financial market managers and the pundits sold through the information media long in advance that oil would go out of use and that it was already the era of electric cars, and they stopped investing in the oil industry.” . said the President, who is spinning a critique of electric transport.
The friction between the two governments, or at least the different positions, is evident not only on energy issues, but also on security and migration. But the two governments are working together to try to close the gap and find an agreement. The meetings are constant. “Continued dialogue at the highest level is critical to achieving the common hemispheric goals agreed upon at the Summit of the Americas,” said US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar. “Today’s meeting between President López Obrador and Climate Commissioner Kerry brings us one step closer to a green energy future.”
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