Response indicators

Air-quality monitoring

Proper air-quality management requires a comprehensive approach that should include, among others, an air monitoring system (WB, 1998). This monitoring consists in regularly measuring, analyzing and processing pollutants concentration data in the place and time established. Monitoring data allow identifying trends in air quality and determining which urban or industrial areas meet the standards (EPA, 2003, Campos et al., 2008). Moreover, these allow identifying and monitoring critical areas, characterizing population exposure to certain pollutants, determining the impacts of emission-control measures, defining pollution-control policies and creating pollutant-dispersion models which, in turn, support decision-making (WB, 1998, 2002; INE-Semarnat, 2007a). Given their importance for environmental management, Metropolitan areas or towns with air-quality monitoring systems is included as an indicator. This shows the coverage of the air-quality monitoring network in Mexico as a social response measure to the problem and, in some way, shows the coverage of air-quality information available in the country. Although many countries have monitoring systems in place, no international reference exists for this indicator.

Proaires

Air-quality management programs (Proaires) are one of the main tools implemented to reverse the air-quality deterioration trends. These also incorporate a mid- and long-term vision and propose concrete actions to reduce and control emissions (Semarnap-INE, 2000; Semarnat, 2009). Proaires have been implemented in metropolitan areas which, because of their number of inhabitants, industrial activities, motor car fleet, power generation, climatic and geographical conditions, among others characteristics, face the greatest air-pollution challenges. Rates of compliance with actions indicated in Proaires show the effectiveness of measures and their relation with environmental deterioration. In this context, the number of Cities with Proaire reflects the response to the air-quality issue through the steady adoption of this national policy by metropolitan areas. Although several international cities have programs in place to combat air pollution, no international reference is available for this indicator.

Investment in the reduction and control of air-pollution

The federal government is responsible for providing and maintaining a broad variety of public services (national security, public safety, health, basic education, infrastructure, etc.), including environmental services (conservation of terrestrial and marine biodiversity, air, water, waste management and disposal, watershed stability, etc.), which must be of good quality. A number of actions have been proposed for addressing the pollution issue, but their implementation requires investing economic resources (Quadri, 2002; OECD, 2007). The control and reduction of pollution (CAC, for its acronym in Spanish) is defined as the set of activities directly aimed at preventing, reducing and eliminating pollution or issues derived from production processes or consumption of goods and services (OECD, 2007). The Public investment in abatement and control of  air pollution shows the amount of resources allocated to combat air pollution and, when interpreted along with environmental policy indicators, provides an assessment of its efficiency. This indicator is also used, either aggregated or disaggregated by concept (water, air, soil, etc.), by the OECD, the UE in the European System for the Collection of Economic Information on the Environment and the UN in the System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (European Communities, 2008; Quadri, 2002; UN et al. 2003; OECD, 2007).

Improved fuels

The deterioration of air quality is a widespread issue in Mexico’s urban areas, with pollutant emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels by the transportation sector as one of its main causes. For this reason, one of the priority policies to improve air quality is the improvement of fuels, both gasoline and diesel (INE-Semarnat, 2007b).

The high sulfur content in fuels prevents the introduction of many advanced and conventional technologies to control pollutants such as carbon monoxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and ozone precursor hydrocarbons (Molina, 2004; Pemex, 2007). On January 30, 2006, the Mexican standard NOM-086-SEMARNAT-SENER-SCFI-2005, "Especificaciones de los combustibles fósiles para la protección ambiental" (Specifications of fossil fuels for environmental protection) (DOF, 2006) was published. With this measure, Mexico adopted more stringent standards to reduce sulfur content in fossil fuels, taking an important step forward to the harmonization of the Mexican specifications with other countries’. To comply with NOM-086, since October 2006, Pemex has made the Pemex Premium ultra-low-sulfur (UBA) gasoline available in its production and distribution centers. By mid-December of that year this product was also made available for consumers in gasoline stations across the country, with a maximum sulfur content of 80 ppm; the gasoline sold before the new standard was adopted used to have an average sulfur content of 250 ppm (PEMEX, 2007).

The indicator Sulfur content in gasolines and diesel shows the efforts made to reduce the direct and indirect negative effects of this element.