Missing in Action: The Environment in Mexico

09/02/2006

No matter how many times you run through the Mexican presidential candidate Andr�s Manuel L�pez Obrador's 50 Commitments � a brief document that serves as his campaign platform � you won't find the following words: environment sustainability air quality contamination pollution biodiversity. Nor does his 2004 book An Alternative Project for the Nation a more detailed position statement deal with the environment. It's simply not a subject the candidate chose to raise when he set down his goals. This noteworthy omission doesn't need to imply that L�pez Obrador is weaker on environmental issues than his four opponents. It mostly reminds us that he's the only candidate risking scrutiny by publishing a political platform in the first place. But it also underscores the marginal position that the environment occupies in Mexico's political debate.