The Integrated Environmental Strategies
(IES) Program in Mexico City, Mexico
What is the IES Program?
The IES program engages developing countries to
help build support for integrated planning to reduce
emissions of both global greenhouse gases (GHGs)
and local air pollutants. The program promotes the
analysis of and local support for implementation of
policy measures resulting in multiple environmental,
public health, and economic "co-benefits." By
analyzing and implementing "integrated" policies
and measures, such as clean energy (e.g., renewable
energy), energy efficiency (e.g., improved energy
efficiency standards for appliances), and public
transportation (e.g., converting diesel buses to
compressed natural gas), IES partners have an
opportunity to make a positive impact on local air
quality, public health, and the economy, while at the
same time reducing GHGs at the global level.
Objectives of the IES Program in Mexico
The National Institute of Ecology (INE)—the key
Mexican governmental partner—began IES work in
Mexico City, Mexico, in February 2002. The IES
team designed the project to: 1) improve analysis of
air pollution control measures under consideration
in PROAIRE—the air quality management plan for
the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA); and
2) add consideration of GHG emissions to this
analysis.
The IES team in Mexico City initially divided the
project into three phases between 2002 and 2005, all
focusing on MCMA. In Phase 1, the team analyzed
opportunities for simultaneously reducing emissions
of local air pollutants and GHGs more cost-
effectively through the implementation of integrated
Figure I. Mitigation Measures Analyzed
measures. During this analysis, the team collected
and analyzed data on the costs and emission
reductions associated with air quality control
measures included in PROAIRE and GHG mitigation
measures from separate studies. The team then
identified least-cost strategies for meeting
"co-control" targets for multiple emissions.
During Phase 2 of the project, the team analyzed
five promising integrated measures included in
PROAIRE covering the transportation, industrial,
and residential sectors: 1) taxi fleet renovation;
2) metro expansion; 3) introduction of hybrid buses;
4) industrial cogeneration; and 5) reductions of
liquid petroleum gas (LPG) leaks from residential
cooking and water heating devices. The analysis
considered the effects of these five measures on
emissions of local air pollutants and GHGs (see
Figure 1). The team also estimated the economic
health benefits related to implementation of these
integrated measures.
Phase 3 of the project examined the local and global
benefits of implementing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
system in Mexico City, which serves 250,000
passengers daily on a 12-mile route through the city.
The team quantified four co-benefits of the BRT
system: 1) reduced emissions of local air pollutants;
2) resulting human health impacts; 3) reduced GHG
emissions; and 4) reduced travel time.
A fourth phase, which will cover the entire country,
is currently beginning and will be finished in 2007.
Phase 4 will estimate the impacts of national
emission control measures on air quality and
associated reductions in GHG emissions. During this
final phase, the team will use a three dimensional air
Mitigation Measure
Taxi Fleet Renovation: Replace 80% of old taxis by 20 1 0
Metro Expansion: Complete 76 kilometers of new metro construction by 2050
Hybrid Buses: Replace 1 ,029 old diesel buses with hybrid buses by 2006
LPG Leaks: Perform stove maintenance in one million households to eliminate leaks
Cogeneration: Install 1 60 megawatts of new cogeneration capacity by 20 1 0
CO2 Emission Reductions (tons/year)
257,542
1 60,368
60,656
5,888
856,081
This figure describes a sample of mitigation measures analyzed and their associated CO2 emission reductions.
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quality model, in combination with the
Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis
Program (BenMAP), to also assess the resulting
health impacts at the national level.
Project Results
The results of Phase 1 indicated that
implementation of the measures in PROAIRE would
yield a reduction of about 2.2 million tons of carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions per year in 2010.
Investments to improve the transportation
infrastructure (e.g., expansion and improvement of
public transportation) and measures that improve
vehicle technology and replace old vehicles
contribute equally to these emission reductions.
Results also indicated a significant opportunity for
achieving the air quality goals of PROAIRE at a
reduced cost. The total cost of achieving air quality
improvements could be reduced by focusing on
more cost-effective measures, such as taxi fleet
renovation (see Figure 2). The GHG mitigation
measures were often characterized by relatively
large up-front investments, but showed good returns
over the long term, due to significant savings in fuel
or electricity consumption.
Figure 2: Costs and Economic Health Benefits, 2003-2020
(million US$/year)
Figure 3: Quality-adjusted Life Years Saved Annually, 2003-2020
-$ioo
-$50
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
This figure illustrates the costs of and resulting economic
health benefits for the five analyzed mitigation measures.
Note that negative costs indicate a net cost and positive
costs indicate a net savings.
In Phase 2, the Mexico team found that the five
mitigation measures analyzed could reduce ambient
particulate matter concentrations by one percent,
maximum daily ozone concentrations by three
percent, and also reduce GHG emissions by two
Taxi Fleet
Renovation
Hybrid Buses
Metro Expansion
LPG Leaks
Cogeneration
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
This figure illustrates the estimated number of quality-adjusted
life years saved annually over the period 2003 to 2020 result-
ing from the implementation of five mitigation measures.
percent (more than one million tons of CO2 per
year). The team also estimated that these five
mitigation measures could collectively save more
than 4,400 quality-adjusted life years annually (see
Figure 3), with associated economic health benefits
on the order of 200 million $US per year (see
Figure 2). In contrast, the team estimated total costs
to be less than 70 million $US per year.
In Phase 3, the BRT project results showed that
reduced emissions of local air pollutants could
result in economic health benefits of approximately
3 million $US each year, while eliminating
280,000 tons of CO2-equivalent emissions over
a 10-year period.
Other Outcomes of the Program
Experience to date in attracting interest from
policymakers has been very encouraging. Project
meetings and discussions of the assumptions used
during analysis involve a wide participation from the
metropolitan environmental commission, and have
raised awareness of possible methodological
improvements. Results of each phase of the program
have been presented to key stakeholders and have
been published in technical reports as well as peer-
reviewed articles.
For More Information
Visit the IES Web site at
. You may also
e-mail ies@epa.gov.
I ntegrated
I ntegrated
f4 nvlronmental
trategies
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA-430-F-06-017
August 2006
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