Academics and civil associations dedicated to preserving the environment rejected "the existence and actions" of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM), for being "complicit in profound ecological damage," squandering of public funds and repeated violations of electoral law.
The following statement, released on Tuesday and titled "We Reject and Separate Ourselves From the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico", was signed by 359 citizens:
"We who sign this statement are citizens from scientific institutions, civil organizations, and professionals dedicated to constructing a sustainable society, which means working so all Mexicans can access a decent life without putting at risk the health of ecosystems. We recognize the importance of maintaining great biodiversity of Mexico, which is considered to be among the five countries sheltering the greatest number of species and types of natural environments.
"In addition to the great natural wealth, in our country there exists an extraordinary cultural heritage and innumerable examples that it is possible to establish harmonious relationships between society and the natural world without destroying it, or causing irreversible damage. Based on the preceding, we express our total rejection of the existence and actions of Green Ecologist Party of Mexico, and we join the strong opposition to this party ..."
- The PVEM created during the administration of Carlos Salinas de Gortari [1988-1994] and under the leadership of Jorge González Torre, has made clear its contempt for the most important environmental causes that have emerged in the country. In 2009, this environmental contempt coupled with the refusal to cancel their campaign against abortion led the Global Greens, a worldwide network of green parties, to sever relations with the PVEM.
- Lawmakers and many public officials affiliated with the PVEM lack professional training. Nevertheless, during the current administration, the PVEM has put itself at the head of such organizations as the Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), whose management has been far from consolidating a national environmental policy directed toward sustainability. Their actions have not been in the interests of building a better Mexico, but of providing business terms for domestic and foreign investors that fall into acts of corruption and of sharing out positions among family and friends. We consider that the current dismantling of such agencies responsible for important environmental tasks in the country as the Conanp [National Commission for Natural Protected Areas], Conafor [National Forestry Commission], and Cecadesu [Center for Education and Training for Sustainable Development] (a department inside Semarnat) arise from the goal of weakening environmental policy and reducing environmental control and monitoring of the sustainable use of ecosystems and the search for the common good.
- Examples that the conduct of the PVEM and its officials are causing severe damage in the country are in mining, where 30% of the national territory has been licensed to mining companies for open-pit mining, even in natural protected areas, through passing tailored legislation and giving financial terms. The approval of projects with high environmental impact as mega-investments in tourism development (recent destruction of Tajamar mangrove), exploitation of schist gas through fracking in thousands of wells, and their unconditional support of the Energy Reform, which includes the use of highly destructive techniques, show clearly that using the "green" flag as the PVEM does is a complete lie.
- As if all this were not enough, the squandering of public funds and repeated violations of the electoral process (which should have cost them their party registration, as demanded by 140,000 signers delivered by a group of prestigious intellectuals, but that the INE [National Election Institute] decided not to take into account, instead resolving the matter by "imposing" a fine of 600 million pesos, whose payment is covered by the same prerogatives that the PVEM receives) are a disgrace that degrades even more our country's shattered institutional framework.
GIVEN THE ABOVE
"We express our public repudiation of the Green Ecological Party of Mexico and separate ourselves from it, emphatically stating that the PVEM does not represent an environmental vision and that, to the contrary, is complicit in profound ecological, social, ethical, electoral and economic damage that the Mexican nation does not deserve.
"Signed by: National Academy of Environmental Education A.C., Group for Environmental Studies Group A.C., Center for Ecological and Social Studies A.C., and Ethnoecology A.C.
"Total of 359 signers (287 academics; 35 civil organizations, 30 independent professionals, 7 government workers)." Spanish original (includes list of signers)