We explain what an environmental contingency is, its causes and the response of the States. Also, the case of Mexico City.
What is an environmental contingency?
An environmental contingency is an environmental crisis due to the effects of pollution that puts at risk the durability of a ecosystem. It may be due to natural disasters or to human causes.
This type of crisis can vary in severity and urgency, from simple environmental alerts to emergency situations. risk severe for the Health that require immediate action.
In such cases, state They activate a series of measures designed to protect the population from harmful environmental effects, at different levels of urgency. The set of these measures is called an environmental contingency plan and it is activated from the institutions local or regional.
The protection that the plan offers goes through informing, educating and providing inputs to the population so that you can minimize the deterioration to your health, while taking political, social and legal measures to tackle the crisis. In some cases, the term “environmental pre-contingency” is also used, as a stage prior to the true environmental crisis.
Environmental contingency in Mexico City
In the Mexican capital, a megalopolis of almost 9 million persons, the quality of air Urban has deteriorated to such drastic levels, as a result of industrial activity and urban automotive transport, that environmental contingencies are frequent.
The most recent of these occurred in 2019, between May 9 and 18, when the highest levels of atmospheric pollution in 14 years, due in part to the massive drought and wildfire season in various state from the country.
The suspension of particles in the air and the levels of ozone released reached such a dangerous level that the environmental alert was extended for the first time in the Federal District and in the cities of Puebla, Hidalgo, Morelos and Tlaxcala, immediately suspending activities to the outdoors and public events, such as educational activities.
This measure was in force until May 19, when pollution levels dropped from 149 points to 106, in addition to having a favorable weather forecast for the clearing of the atmosphere in the capital region.