Mexico to raise greenhouse gas emissions target

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — Mexico announced Saturday that it will raise its target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and boosting the rollout of renewable energy, though it remains a regional laggard on climate action.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico would aim to reduce emissions by 35 percent compared to doing nothing by 2030. That’s up from an unconditional pledge of 22 percent cuts it had made two years ago.

Ebrard announced the new target alongside U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on the sidelines of the U.N. climate talks in Egypt.

Unlike many national climate targets, Mexico’s does not define cuts in relation to a specific baseline year but compared to what’s projected under a “business as usual” scenario.