WATER NEWS – 12/17
Water water news roundup

The Cousteau Foundation warns about significant environmental damage caused by the Maya Train Project

The Ocean Futures Society Foundation, led by renowned environmentalist Jean-Michel Cousteau, expressed deep concern about the megaproject’s ecological impacts.

Furthermore, in a letter addressed to President Claudia Sheinbaum, Cousteau emphasized that this mega-work endangers unique ecosystems and species at risk of extinction.

Likewise, in its letter, the foundation highlighted that during the last six years, it sent multiple communications to the Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador to request the completion of environmental impact studies before the construction of the Tren Maya.

However, they claim that these requests never received a response. (The Yucatan Times)

Construction of the New Desalination Plant Begins!

Significant progress on the long-awaited Desalination Plant 2 project in Cabo San Lucas. This week, key meetings took place with Ángeles Mendieta from CONAGUA and Carlos Puente from BANOBRAS to finalize the technical and financial analysis, ensuring the project is ready to break ground in 2025.

The new desalination plant will have the capacity to process 250 liters of seawater per second, providing an immediate benefit to the community while addressing long-term water challenges. With support from local and federal authorities and private developers, the project promises to meet high standards of quality, efficiency, and sustainability. (Gringo Gazette)

How Much Water Do Los Cabos Golf Courses Actually Use?

Is operating a golf course in a desert good for the environment? The answer is much more complicated than you might think. 

The three most common criticisms of golf courses are that they’re elitist, wasteful of water, and destructive to wildlife habitats. In Los Cabos, where most courses cost upwards of $200 per round, and some more than double that, the charge of elitism is hard to refute. Very few locals can afford to play any of the 18 courses currently open; and since many are private — with tee times only available to resort guests or homeowners in gated communities — it’s often a moot point. (Gringo Gazette)

A desert state takes center stage in Mexico’s clean energy plans

What are Mexico’s plans for the decarbonization of the global economy amid the worldwide call to combat climate change? And how is the northern state of Sonora involved?

Mexico’s “main bet” in its attempts to transition to cleaner energy is the Plan Sonora renewable energy initiative, Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo said Wednesday during a meeting in Mexico City with federal Energy Minister Luz Elena González Escobar.

Under Durazo, the state has been working closely with the federal government for several years to execute Plan Sonora, a comprehensive energy, development and economic growth plan that would bring the state (and Mexico) foreign investment and greater energy independence as well as, Durazo is betting, turn Sonora into a “Silicon Valley” for clean energy. (Mexico News Daily)

The Mexican scientists ‘moving mountains’ to help migrating monarch butterflies

Mexican scientists have taken on an ambitious project to transplant the habitat of the monarch butterfly — which migrates south to Mexico every winter — to mitigate the effects of climate change on the butterfly’s population. 

Their approach involves planting new fir forests at temperatures where the butterfly’s preferred place to hibernate can thrive.

Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico’s fir forests every winter, where they are protected from rain and frost. (Juan José Estrada Serafín/Cuartoscuro)

Between late October and early November, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate 2,500 miles from the northern United States and southern Canada to hibernate in Mexico’s fir forests. (Mexico Daily News)