August has flown by, but we continue our efforts defending the right to a healthy environment. This month was particularly special, as our organization celebrates its anniversary. These were some of our deeds carried out throughout August.
The Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA) celebrates 28 years of its foundation
This past August 16th, CEMDA celebrated the 28th anniversary of its foundation as a non-profit civil society organization dedicated to protect people’s health, life quality, as well as the legal care of the environment by urging people to make the “new normality” be environmentally sustainable.
This is not about stopping growth, development, investment or job creation. Rather, it is about doing all these things in a way in which we respect natural capital, and people’s human rights in benefit of us all. In the end, we completely depend on environmental conditions and natural resources in our daily lives.
We will continue to work in favor of legality and the rule of law in environmental matters that our country lacks so much. We want to use this opportunity to thank each and everyone of the people who have placed their trust and friendship on us throughout the years.
Executive Director and CEMDA’s founder Gustavo Alanís Ortega said that “We hope that the Covid-19 pandemic teaches us enough lessons for us to become much more invested in protecting the environment and its resources, which are indispensable for humanity. The production and consumption patterns that happen globally today must change to a point where we use only the resources that we need so as to avoid wasting them like we currently do. As the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations has claimed, by doing this, we can make our ends meet while also enabling future generations to do that as well.”
Forum «Indigenous Territories against Mining: Analysis of the Judgment of the Supreme Court against the Masewal People
On June 22th, the Forum «Indigenous Territories against Mining: Analysis of Judgment 928/2019 of the Supreme Court against the Masewal People» was held. The UNAM Legal Research Institute, Altepetajpianij Maseual Council and the Mexican Center for Environmental Law convened. Here we share with you a summary of what happened during this dialogue.
La Paz’ City Council must report to the federal judge for breach of the Deplastify Law (Ley desplastifícate) in Baja California Sur
The Third District Court of the Federal Judicial Power admitted the legal help claim filed by some organizations that are a part of the #Desplastifícate alliance. In the document they denounced that the municipal authorities of La Paz have not complied with the Deplastify Law in Baja California Sur, causing that plastic bags, straws and Styrofoam containers continue to circulate in the state without any restrictions.
In the reformation called “Deplastify Law”, stated in August, 2018, were a series of actions that both state government and the municipalities had to carry out in a maximum period of 18 month, so that by February 2020, the single-use plastic and Styrofoam products were definitively replaced by reusable ones.
Among the omissions on the part of the Cabildo de La Paz, the lack of issuance and publication of a municipal substitution program stands out, as well as the lack of inspection and surveillance of the municipality’s commercial establishments by the General Directorate of Urban Development and Ecology, and the Directorate of Ecology, Education and Environmental Management.
“As organizations, we are always willing to help; this is why we urge the municipal authorities to take responsibility for this matter before a judge, and proceed to fulfill their pending obligations. Were they to prolong the trial, we will understand that they tend to continue with the same line of omissions as before, which is precisely why we are here today,” said Mario Sanchez, director of CEMDA’s northwest regional office.