1ac mex renewables lay

8/12/2019 1AC Mex Renewables Lay

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My partner Steven and I firmly believe that spreading use of renewable

technology to Mexico has two distinct advantages.

First, because of the interconnection of the United States economy with that of

Mexico, any projects will have a magnified economic effect on both sides of the

border, and secondly, the intuitive effect of increasing use of renewable

technology will be to stop the acceleration of global warming. Thus we propose

the following plan:

The United States Federal Government should provide renewable energy

assistance to Mexico through the Border Environmental Cooperation

Commission.


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Economy

First, as Bradford DeLong, a Professor of Economics at the University of

California, Berkeley, explains that a US economic crisis is coming

DeLong 13- Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, a ResearchAssociate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a Visiting Fellow at the Kauffman

Foundation (J. Bradford, The Second Great Depression: Why the Economic Crisis is Worse Than

You Think, July/August 2013 Foreign Affairs)//BeddowDespite its many virtues, however, the book paints an overly optimistic portrait of the state of the U.S. economy. More

than four years after Lehman Brothers went under, Blinder writes, policy makers are still nursing a frail economy back to

health. But the U.S. economy is worse than frail,and there are few signs that it is being

nursed back to health. Most economists claim at least one silver lining in the economic downturn: that it wasnot as bad as the Great Depression. Up until recently, I agreed; I even took to calling the episode the Lesser Depression. I

now suspect that I was wrong. Compare the ongoing crisis to the Great Depression, and there is

hardly anything lesser about it. The European economy today stands in a worse

position compared to 2007 than it did in 1935 compared to 1929, when the Great

Depression began. And it looks as if the U.S. economy, when all is said and done, willhave faced certainly one lost decade, and perhaps even two. The U.S. economy has

enjoyed a recovery only in the sense that conditions have not gotten worse.Blinder notesthat the unemployment rate jumped to ten percent at the height of the crisis and is now hovering around eight percent,

nearly halfway back to economic health. But this assessment is misleading. In the middle of the last decade, the percentage

of American adults who were employed was roughly 63 percent. That figure dropped to about 59 percent in 2009. It

remains there today. From the perspective of employment, the U.S. economy is not

recovering but flatlining.Look at the GDP figures: in the 12 years between the beginning of the Great Depressionand the United States entry into World War II, the U.S. economy sa w its production drop by an amount equal to 180

percent of the output of one average pre-crisis year. If one assumes, as the Congressional Budget Office does, that U.S.

production will return to its pre-2008 form by 2017, the economy will have suffered a shortfall equivalent to only 60

percent of one average pre-crisis year. But it is unlikely that the economic downturn will be over by 2017: no war or major

innovation appears to be looming on the horizon that could propel the country into an economic boom the way World War

II did at the end of the Great Depression. If the downturn drags on into a second lost decade, the

United States will incur further losses equal to the output of a full average pre-crisis

year, bringing the total cost of the crisis to 160 percent of an average pre-crisis year and

nearly equal to that of the Great Depression. Of course, the present downturn has caused far less humanmisery than the Great Depression did. But that is because of political factors, not economic ones. The great network of

social insurance programs established by President Franklin Roosevelts New Deal, President Harry Trumans Fair Deal,

President John F. Kennedys New Frontier, and President Lyndon Johnsons Great Society, and defended by President Bill

Clinton, sharply limits the amount of poverty a downturn can cause. And what of the future? Only ambitious

political action of the kind that created those programs can insure the country against

suffering an equal economic calamity down the line . Yet the U.S. political system is dysfunctional.Congress will not support the kind of financial regulation the country sorely needs. Blinder concludes his narrative with a

number of smart forward-looking recommendations, but his books biggest weakness is its lack of a road map out of the

present impasse that takes into account the political climate. Without a more dramatic set of actions, the

United States is likely to suffer another major economic crisis in the years ahead.

The way for us to reverse this grim prediction is through increased energy

connectivity with Mexico, which is key to economic growth, as outlined by

Roger Noriega, a former US State Department Official:

Noriega and Cardenas 12*Former US State Dept Official, ** director with Vision Americas(An action plan for US policy in the Americas, December, http://www.aei.org/outlook/foreign-

and-defense-policy/regional/latin-america/an-action-plan-for-us-policy-in-the-americas/)//BB


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Key points in this Outlook:

Americas economic crisisand threats to US security have undermined its traditional global-

leadership role and weakened its connections to Latin American nationsthat continue to

modernize their economies. The United States must recover its regional credibility by taking

bold initiativesto restore its fiscal solvency, while aggressively promoting trade , energy

interdependence , technology transfer , and economic growth . The United States must then

retool its strategy for its partners in the Americas by working with them to combat threats such as cross-border criminality

and radical populism, encouraging dialogue with regional leaders, and ensuring law enforcement cooperation to develop a

mutually beneficial relationship. A stable and prosperous Americas is indispensable to US

economic success and security. The region is home to three of the top four foreign

sources of energy to the United States, as well as the fastest-growing destinations for

US exports and investment. Clearly, geography and shared values predetermine a united

destiny for the United States and its neighbors in the Americas. How positive and

fruitful that destiny will be depends onwhether US policymakers, private businesses, and civil societymove with a greater sense of purpose toward seizing promising opportunities and meeting critical challenges. Times have

changed. The US fiscal crisis and preoccupation with two distant wars have distracted policymakersinWashington and undermined US leadership in the Americas. Although access to the US market, investment, technology,

and other economic benefits are highly valued by most countries in the Western Hemisphere, today, the United

States is no longer the only major partner to choose from . Asia (principally China) and Europe are

making important inroads. So, as US policymakers retool their strategy for the Americas, they

must shelve the paternalism of the past and be much more energetic in forming

meaningful partnerships with willing neighbors. Of course, the United States must recover itscredibility by making bold decisions to restore its own fiscal solvency, while aggressively promoting trade, energy

interdependence, technology transfer, and economic growth. Then, Washington will be better positioned to cultivate

greater economic and political cooperation among its neighbors, beginning with an open and candid dialogue with the

regions leaders about their vision, their challenges, and their priorities. Partnerships can thus be built on common

ground. The security challenges in the Americas are very real and growing more

complicated every day. Illegal narcotics trafficking, transnational organized crime, and radical populism fueled bypetrodollars and allied with dangerous extraregional forces pose daunting challenges. Although it is wise to prioritize a

positive socioeconomic and political agenda, assessing and addressing threats is an indispensable prerequisite to achievingUS security and regional leadership. To make the most of their united destiny, the United States and its

partners in the Americas should: Promote and defend democracy, the rule of law, and human rights andprivate property as the building blocks of just societies, accountable governments, and prosperous economies; Advocate

and support the empowerment of individuals through the development of strong free-market economies, healthy private

sectors, and free trade among nations; Assist neighbors in addressing their essential security needs so they can grow in

peace and be more effective allies to prevent or confront common threats; Incentivize capital markets and

encourage new and innovative technology cooperation to develop a regional

community that is interdependent in the production and distribution of a range of products and services

particularly energy ; Confront international organized crime in Mexico and Central America by supporting effective

law-enforcement institutions and competent judicial systems; Work with willing allies to restore the Organization of

American States to its essential mission of promoting and defending common values and meeting common threats;

Address the role of China and Russia in the Americas by encouraging open and transparent regional investment and trade

and rejecting exploitive policies that undermine local societies, regional security, and economic growth; Combat threatsposed by authoritarian regimes and their ties with Iran, Hezbollah, and transnational criminal organizations; Assist the

Cuban people in transitioning to a postCastro Cuba by helping to jump-start their private sector, rehabilitate their

economy, and restore their political freedoms when the dictatorship collapses. Maximizing Mutual Global

CompetitivenessExpanding regional economic cooperation is crucial to US economic

growth . An aggressive tradepromotion and investmentstrategy in todays hypercompetitive, globalized

economy isnot a policy option; it is an imperative . Clearly, prosperity at home depends on success

abroad. The economic opportunities in the Western Hemisphere are enormous, and US


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policy-makers and the private sector must recognize them as critical to US economic

growth . In 2011, US exports reached a record $2.1 trillion in total value, despite the fact that only 1 percent of US

businesses export their products to foreign markets. The United States must expand on these opportunities. Exports benefit

the US economy by offering companies opportunities to tap new markets, expand their production, and earn more

consumer dollars. Today, 95 percent of the worlds consumers live outside the United States, and the International

Monetary Fund predicts that, through 2015, some 80 percent of economic growth will take place beyond US shores. It is

indisputable that an aggressive US trade policymeaning selling US goods and servicesin as many markets aspossibleis essential for the US economy to hone its competitive edge in the 21st century.

In this sense, Americas future is inextricably linked to the future of its neighbors in its own

hemisphere. A prosperous hemisphere means a more prosperous United States.

The United States plays a critical peace-keeping role on the international level,

and continued economic growth is key to position, as Zalmay Khalilzad, former

director of policy planning at the Department of Defense, explains

Khalilzad 11PhD, Former Professor of Political Science @ Columbia, Former ambassador toIraq and Afghanistan

(Zalmay Khalilzad was the United States ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the United

Nations during the presidency of George W. Bush and the director of policy planning at theDefense Department from 1990 to 1992. "The Economy and National Security" Feb 8

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/259024/economy-and-national-security-zalmay-

khalilzad)//BB

Today,economicand fiscal trends pose the most severe long-term threat to the United States

position as global leader. While the United States suffers from fiscal imbalances and low economic

growth, the economies of rival powers are developing rapidly.The continuation of these two trends

could lead to a shift from American primacy toward a multi-polar global system, leading in

turn to increased geopolitical rivalry andeven war among the great powers.The current recession is the result of a deepfinancial crisis, not a mere fluctuation in the business cycle. Recovery is likely to be protracted. The crisis was preceded by the buildup over two decades of enormous

amounts of debt throughout the U.S. economy ultimately totaling almost 350 percent of GDP and the development of credit-fueled asset bubbles, particularly

in the housing sector. When the bubbles burst, huge amounts of wealth were destroyed, and unemployment rose to over 10 percent. The decline of tax revenues

and massive countercyclical spending put the U.S. government on an unsustainable fiscal path. Publicly held national debt rose from 38 to over 60 percent of GDP in

three years. Without faster economic growth and actionsto reduce deficits, publicly held national debt is projected to reach dangerous

proportions. If interest rateswere to rise significantly, annual interest payments which already are larger than the defense budget would crowd outother spendingor require substantial tax increases that would undercut economic growth. Even worse, if unanticipated events trigger what economist s call a sudden stop in creditmarkets for U.S. debt, the United States would be unable to roll over its outstanding obligations, precipitating a sovereign-debt crisis that would almost certainly compel a radical retrenchment of the

United States internationally. Such scenarios would reshape the international order. It was the economic devastation of Britain and

Franceduring World War II, as well as the rise of other powers, that led both countries to relinquish their empires. In the late 1960s,British leaders concluded that they lacked the economic capacity to maintain a presence east of Suez. Soviet economic weakness, which crystallized under Gorbachev, contributed to their decisions

to withdraw from Afghanistan, abandon Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, and allow the Soviet Union to fragment. If the U.S. debt problem goes critical, the United States

would be compelled to retrench, reducing its military spending and shedding international commitments. We

face this domestic challenge while other major powers are experiencing rapid economic

growth. Even though countries such as China, India, and Brazil have profound political, social, demographic, and economic problems, their economies are growing faster than ours, and this

could alter the global distribution of power. These trends could in the long term produce a multi-polar world. If U.S. policymakers fail to actand other powers

continue to grow, it is not a question of whether but when a new international order will emerge. The closing of the gapbetween the United States and its rivalscould intensify geopolitical competition among major powers,increase incentives for local powers to play major powersagainst one another, andundercut our will to preclude or respond to international crises because of the higher risk of escalation.The stakes are high. In modern

history,the longest period of peace among the great powers has been the era of U.S. leadership.By contrast, multi-polar systems have been unstable, withtheir competitive dynamics resulting in frequent crises and major wars

among the great powers. Failures of multi-polar international systems produced both world wars. American retrenchment couldhave devastating consequences. Without an American security blanket, regional powers could rearm in an attempt to balance againstemerging threats. Under this scenario,there would be a heightened possibility of arms races, miscalculation,

or other crises spiraling into all-out conflict. Alternatively, in seeking to accommodate the stronger powers, weaker powers


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may shift their geopolitical posture away from the United States. Either way, hostile states wouldbe emboldened to make aggressive moves in their regions.


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the top 100, and 2.5% of the top 200, excluding researchers present in both groups (Materials and Methods). This result

closely agrees with expert surveys, indicating that 97% of self-identifiedactively publishing

climate scientists agree with the tenets of ACC(2). Furthermore, this finding complements direct polling ofthe climate researcher community, which yields quali- tative and self-reported researcher expertise (2). Our findings

capture the added dimension ofthe distribution of researcher expertise, quantify agreement among thehighest expertise climate researchers, and provide an independent assessment of level of scientific consensus concerning

ACC. In addition to the striking difference in number of expert researchers between CE and UE groups, thedistribution of

expertise of the UE group is far below that of the CE group (Fig. 1). Mean expertise of the UE groupwas around half (60 publications) that of the CE group (119 publications; MannWhitney U test: W = 57,020; P < 1014),

as was median expertise (UE = 34 publications; CE = 84 publications). Furthermore, researchers with fewer than20 climate publications comprise 80% the UE group, as opposed to less than 10% of theCE group. This indicates that the bulk of UE researchers on the most prominent multisignatory statements aboutclimate change have not published extensively in the peer-reviewed climate literature. We examined a subsample of the 50

most-published (highest- expertise) researchers from each group. Such subsampling facili- tates comparison of relative

expertise between groups (normalizing differences between absolute numbers). This method reveals large differences in

relative expertise between CE and UE groups (Fig. 2). Though the top-published researchers in the CE group have an

average of 408 climate publications (median = 344), the top UE researchers average only 89 publications (median = 68;

MannWhitney U test: W = 2,455; P < 1015). Thus, this suggests that not all experts are equal, and top CE resear chers

have much stronger expertise in climate science than those in the top UE group. Finally, ourprominence criterion

provides an independent and approximate estimate of the relative scientific significance ofCE and UE publications. Citation analysis complements publication analysis because it can, in general terms,capture the quality and impact of a researchers contributiona critical component to overall scientific credibilityas

opposed to measuring a researchers involvement in a field, or expertise (Materials and Methods). The citation analysis

conducted here further complements the publication analysis because it does not examine solely climate- relevant

publications and thus captures highly prominent researchers who may not be directly involved with the climate field. We

examined the top four most-cited papers for each CE and UE researcher with 20 or more climate publications and found

immense disparity in scientific prominence between CE and UE communities (MannWhitney U test: W = 50,710; P < 106;

Fig. 3). CE researchers top papers were cited an average of 172 times, compared with 105 times for UE researchers.

Because a single, highly cited paper does not establish a highly credible reputation but might instead reflect the

controversial nature of that paper (often called the single-paper effect), we also considered the average the citation count

of the second through fourth most-highly cited papers of each researcher. Results were robust when only these papers

were considered (CE mean: 133; UE mean: 84; MannWhitney U test: W = 50,492; P < 106). Results were robust when all

1,372 researchers, including those with fewer than 20 climate publications, were considered (CE mean: 126; UE mean: 59;

MannWhitney U test: W = 3.5 105; P < 1015). Number of citations is an imperfect but useful benchmark for a groups

scientific prominence (Materials and Methods), and we show here that even considering all (e.g., climate and nonclimate)

publications, the UE researcher group has substantially lower prominence than the CE group. We provide a large-scale quantitative assessment of the relative level of agreement, expertise, and prominencein the climate researcher community. We show that the expertise and prominence, two integral

components ofoverall expert credibility, of climate researchers convinced by the evidence of

ACC vastly overshadows that of the climate change skeptics and contrarians. This divide

is even starker when considering the top researchersin each group. Despite media tendencies

to present both sides in ACC debates(9), which can contribute to continued public misunderstanding re-garding ACC (7, 11, 12, 14), not all climate researchers are equal in scientific credibility and

expertise in the climate system. Thisextensive analysisof the mainstream versus skeptical/contrarian researchers

suggests a strong role for considering expert credibility in the relative weight of and

attention to these groups of researchers infuture discussions in media, policy, and public forums

regarding anthropogenic climate change.

And as Lester Brown, director and founder of the global institute of

environment in the u.s. writes in 2008, Global warming would lead to

irreversible environmental damage

BROWN, Director and Founder of the global institute of Environment in the U.S., 2008


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*Lester E. Brown, Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization+

In 2004, Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow at Princeton University published an article in Science that showed how annual

carbon emissions from fossil fuels could be held at 7 billion tonsinstead of rising to 14 billion tonsover the next 50 years, as would occur with business as usual.The goal of Pacala, an ecologist, and Socolow, an engineer, was to

prevent atmospheric CO2concentrations, then near 375 ppm, from rising above 500 ppm. I They described IS ways, all using proven

technologies, that by 20S4 could each cut carbon emissions by 1 billion tons per year. Any seven of these options could be used

together to prevent an increase in carbon emissions through 2054. Pacala and Socolow further theorize that advancing technology

would allow for annual carbon emissions to be cut to 2 billion tons by 2104, a level that can be absorbed by natural carbon sinks inland and oceans. The Pacala/Socolow conceptualization has been extraordinarily useful in helping to think about how to cut carbon

emissions. During the three years since the article was written, the urgency of acting quickly and on a much larger scale has become

obvious. We also need now to go beyond the conceptual approach that treats all potential methods of reducing carbon emissions

equally and concentrate on those that are most promising. Researcherssuch as James Hansen, a leading climate scientist at

NASA,believe that global warming is accelerating andmay beapproaching a tipping point,

a point at which climate change acquires a momentum that makes it irreversible.They

think we may have a decade to turn the situation around before this threshold is crossed.Iagree.?3 We often hear descriptions of what we need to do in the decades ahead or by 2050 to avoid "dangerous climate

change," but we are already facing this. Two thirds of the glaciers that feed the Yellow and Yangtze rivers of China will disappear by

2060 if even the current 7 percent annual rate of melting continues. Glaciologists report that the Gangotri glacier, which supplies 70

percent of the ice melt that feeds the Ganges River during the dry season, could disappear entirely in a matter of decades.74What

could threaten world food security more than the melting of the glaciers that feed the major rivers of Asia during the dry season, the

rivers that irrigate the region's rice and wheat fields? In a region with half the world's people, this potential loss of water during thedry season could lead not just to hunger but to starvation on an unimaginable scale. Asian food security would take a second hit

because its rice-growing river deltas and floodplains would be under water. The World Bank tells us that a sea level rise of only 1

meter would inundate half of the riceland in Bangladesh. While a 1-meter rise in sea level will not happen overnight, what is

worrisome is that if ice melting continues at today's rates, at some point such a rise in sea level will no longer be preventable. The

melting that would cause this is not just what may happen if the earth's temperature rises further; this is something that is starting

to happen right now with the current temperature. As summer neared an end in 2007, reports from Greenland indicated that the

flow of glaciers into the sea had accelerated beyond anything glaciologists had thought possible. Huge chunks of ice weighing several

billion tons each were breaking off and sliding into the sea, causing minor earthquakes as they did so.!6 With melt-water lubricating

the surface between the glaciers and the rocks on which they rested, ice flows were accelerating, flowing into the ocean at a pace of

2 meters an hour. This accelerated flow, along with the earthquakes, shows the potential for the entire ice sheet to break up and

collapse?? Beyond what is already happening, the world faces a risk that some of the feedback mechanisms will begin to kick in, fur-

ther accelerating the warming process. Scientists who once thought that the Arctic Ocean could be free of ice during the summer by

2100 now see it occurring by 2030. Even this could turn out to be a conservative estimate.78 This is of particular concern to

scientists because of the albedo effect, where the replacement of highly reflective sea ice with darker open water greatly increases

heat absorbed from sunlight. This, of course, has the potential to further accelerate the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. A second

feedback loop of concern is the melting of permafrost. This would release billions of tons of carbon, some as methane, a potentgreenhouse gas with a global warming effect per ton 25 times that of carbon dioxide.79 The risk facing humanity is that climate

change could spiral out of control and it will no longer be possible to arrest trends such as ice melting and rising sea level. At this

point, the future of civilization would be at risk. This combination of melting glaciers, rising seas, and

their effects on food security and low-lying coastal cities could overwhelm the

capacity of governments to cope.Today it is largely weak states that begin to deteriorate under the pressures ofmounting environmental stresses. But the changes just described could overwhelm even the strongest of states. Civilization itself

could begin to unravel under these extreme stresses.

And, the best way to act is through the affirmative plans strategy of quickening

reductions, as Jeffrey Mazo, a Survival and Research Fellow for Environmental

Security and Science Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies inLondo reported in March of 2010,

Mazo 10PhD in Paleoclimatology from UCLA(Jeffrey Mazo, Managing Editor, Survival and Research Fellow for Environmental Security and

Science Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, 3-2010, Climate

Conflict: How global warming threatens security and what to do about it, pg. 122)//BBThe best estimates for global warming to the end of the century range from 2.5-4.~C above pre-industrial levels, depending

on the scenario. Even in the best-case scenario, the low end of the likely range is 1.goC, and in the worst 'business as usual'

projections, which actual emissions have been matching, the range of likely warming runs from 3.1--7.1C. Even keeping


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emissions at constant 2000 levels (which have already been exceeded), global temperature would still be expected to reach

1.2C (O'9""1.5C)above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century." Without early and severe

reductions in emissions, the effects of climate change in the second half of the twenty-

first century are likely to be catastrophic for the stability and security of countries in the developing world

- not to mention the associated human tragedy. Climate change could even underminethe strength and

stability of emerging and advanced economies, beyond the knock-on effects on security ofwidespread state failure and collapse in developing countries.' And although they have been

condemned as melodramatic and alarmist, many informed observers believe that unmitigated climate change

beyond the end of the century couldpose an existential threat to civilisation." What is certain is that

there is no precedent in human experience for such rapid change or such climatic

conditions, and even in the best case adaptation to these extremes would mean profound social,cultural and political changes.

COCEF, an environmental commission in Latin America, reports in 2012 that the

kind of technical assistance provided by the affirmative plan for renewable

energy technology would significantly reduce greenhouse gases

COCEF 12- La Comisin de Cooperacin Ecolgica Fronteriza(Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Transportation: Project Opportunities in the U.S.

Mexico Border Region,

http://www.cocef.org/Eng/VLibrary/Publications/SpecialReports/BECC%20WP%20%20Nov%202

011%20index.pdf)//BB

Thiswhite paper describes the current deficit inthe U.S.-Mexico border region in terms of renewable

energy, energy efficiency, and transportation projects focused on the reduction ofgreenhouse gases

(GHG). In the presentation, the argument is made that theprimary reason thisproject deficit exists is

due to: 1. limited resourcesfor project development, 2. lack of capacity building, at themost

fundamental level, in the public and publicprivate sectors, and 3. lack of technical assistance

program to address this deficit Specifically targeting a technical assistance program for

renewable energy, energy efficiency, and transportation projects to achieve GHG reductions would

be invaluable in promoting an environment for effective climate action in border

communities. A proposed technical assistanceprogram could help public sector entities build

the bases on which they can develop both mitigation and adaptation greenhouse gas

projects. Mitigation projects are the priorityof the program since theyare intended to directly

reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Adaptation projects are important as well, and it is recommended theybe developed as capacity building initiatives to assist municipalities better manage the current realities of climate

change. Ultimately, these project types do need technical assistance funds , and the funds will

need a highly capacitated and experienced program manager .

And, there are three unique reasons why Mexico is the key country for us to

begin climate cooperations with

First is production, where due to natural resources, Mexico has huge potential

for renewable energy, as Duncan Wood, a Professor at the Mexico Autonomous

Institute of Technology, explains

Wood 10PhD in Political Studies @ Queens, Professor @ ITAM in Mexico City


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(Duncan, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,

http://www.statealliancepartnership.org/resources_files/USMexico_Cooperation_Renewable_E

nergies.pdf)//BB

The North American context The North American economic region is experiencingan impact from all

of the issues mentioned above. Climate change, population growth, tightening energy marketsand the need for sustainable development pose a series of challenges for policy makers at both the national and regional

levels. A number of studies , some dating from the early years of the 2000s, have called for the creation

of North American renewable energy markets, with adequate integration of electricity

transmission systems, funding programs and intergovernmental cooperation 3. The

demand for integration of RE markets is urgent. As nations, states and municipalities

struggle to meet carbon emissions targets, they are looking to their neighbors to satisfy

demand for RE and to benefit from synergies across sectors. Unfortunately, we are still a long wayaway from such integration. There is still a lack of knowledge about the full extent of renewable energy resources across

the region and differences in regulatory regimes, both within and between countries remains an obstacle. A comprehensive

study and database of renewable energy resources is a vital component for developing RE in the region that was attempted

in 2003 by the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC)'1, but which sadly came to nothing.

However, it is encouraging that significant progress has been made in recent years on both the technological and the

regulatory fronts, and there is significant interestfrom the private sector in exploiting renewable energy across

borders in the region. The industry in Mexico Mexico enjoys one of the world's most privileged

positions in terms of its potential to generate renewable energy. Possessing tropical,

temperate and arid climates, very long coastlines, areas of high wind velocity and

stability, geothermal activity, and high levels of solar irradiation, Mexico is naturally

extremely well endowed [to generate renewable energy] . However there has been

very little development of the renewable sector in Mexicountil very recently (with the exception of

hydro-electric and geothermal electricity generation). This lack of development can be explained by;

The dominance ofenergy thinking by issues related to oil and, to a lesser extent, gas The absence of any

consideration of energy security issues due to the abundance of hydrocarbons A lack of awareness on the

part of the executive branch and legislatorsof the potential for renewable energy generation A low

level of environmental consciousness on the part of government, society and the private sector The absence of

economic and financial incentives for public or private sector development of

renewable resources

Second is Mexicos ability to spread the technology globally, as the

Environmental News Service predicts in 2012

ENS 12Environmental News Service(U.S., Canada, Mexico Vow Continental Energy Grid,

http://www.reepedia.com/archives/4568)//BBThe leaders of the United States, Mexico, and Canada today pledged to develop continental energy, including electricity

generation and interconnection

across national borders and welcomed increasing North American energy trade. Meeting in Washington, U.S.

President Barack Obama, Canadas President Stephen Harper andMexicos President Felipe Calderon

committed theirgovernments to enhance their collective energy security, to facilitate

seamless energy flowson the interconnected grid and to promote trade and

investment in clean energy technologies. They will cooperate in expanding cooperation to create clean

energy jobs and combat climate change, the leaders said in a joint statement. Enhanced electricity

interconnectionin the Americas wouldadvance the goals of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas to

reduce energy poverty and increase the use of renewable sources of energy,the three


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leaderssaid. They recognized Mexicosleadership in supporting inter-connections in

Central America and reaffirmed their support to bring affordable, reliable, and increasingly renewable power to businesses

and homes in Central America and the Caribbean while opening wider markets for clean

energy and green technology. During a joint news conference this afternoon, President Obama said,Between us, we represent nearly half-a-billion citizens, from Nunavut in the Canadian north to Chiapas in southern

Mexico. In between, the diversity of our peoples and cultures is extraordinary. But wherever they live, they wake up every

day with similar hopesto provide for their families, to be safe in their communities, to give their children a better life. Andin each of our countries, the daily lives of our citizens are shaped profoundly by what happens in the other two. And thats

why were here. Energy cooperation reduces the cost of doing businessand enhances economic

competitiveness in North America, the three leaders said. We recognizethe growing regional and federal

cooperationin the area ofcontinental energy, including electricity generation and

interconnection and welcomeincreasing North American energy trade.

Third is the international cooperation which can only be found through

Mexican leadership, as Shannon ONeill, a senior fellow for Latin American

Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, explains

ONeill 13PhD in Government @ Harvard, senior fellow for Latin America Studies at the

Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan foreign-policy think tank and membershiporganization

(Shannon, Mexico Makes It: A Transformed Society, Economy, and Government, Foreign

Affairs, 92.2)//BB

If Mexico addresses these challenges, it will emerge as a powerful player on the

international stage.A democratic and safe Mexico would attract billions of dollars in foreign investment and propelthe country into the world's top economic ranks. Robust growth would both reduce northbound emigration and increase

southbound trade, benefiting U.S. employers and employees alike. Already influential in the G-20 and other

multilateral organizations, Mexico could become even more of a power broker in global

institutions andhelp construct new international financial, trade, and climate change

accords .


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Solvency

Finally is our plans ability to solve for economic growth and global warming

COCEF, a Mexican cooperation focused on renewable energy development,

reported in 2012 that an expanded BECC role would quickly facilitate a Mexican

green economy, explaining

COCEF 12- La Comisin de Cooperacin Ecolgica Fronteriza(Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Transportation: Project Opportunities in the U.S.

Mexico Border Region,

http://www.cocef.org/Eng/VLibrary/Publications/SpecialReports/BECC%20WP%20%20Nov%202

011%20index.pdf)//BB

SECTION 4: BECCTHE BORDER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDER 25 Since 1995, theBECC[Border

Environmental Cooperation Commission] has demonstrated a very strong capacity to

manage technical assistance programs for capacity building and project development.

They have administered millions of dollars in technical assistance funds for hundredsof projects across the border region. Two of the most noteworthy technical assistance programs thatBECC has been entrusted with by the U.S. EPA are: Border 2012 Program (2005) and the Project Develop Assistance

Program (1997). Border 2012 In 2005, EPA requested that BECC assist in administering the Border 2012 program.

Since 2006 when the first program funds were provided for environmental projects, the BECC has distributed over $10 M

in funds and managed over 183 projects, of which 95 are complete and 71 in progress. BECC provides

logistical supportfor the work groups, assists in identifying priority areas for grant funding,

reviews requestsfor proposals, assists in project selection and project management, and

ensures quality of deliverables and compliance with work plans. BECCsparticipationin

the program has been instrumental in solidifying bi-national collaboration inthe

development of projects, which have provided tangible results and basic scientific information on

environmental and human health conditions along the border. Project Development Assistance Program (PDAP) As

mentioned in Section 3, the BECC has distributed approximately $34.5 million through the PDAP into 203 water,wastewater collection, and wastewater treatment projects. Of the 203 projects, approximately 72% (146) have been

implemented or are under development resulting in 85% of PDAP funds ($29.4M) invested in these projects. This

demonstrates a successful management of the program. Approximately $19.5M in PDAP funding has led to BECC certified

projects and has leveraged $1.2B in funds from programs and institutions such as the Border Environmental

Infrastructure Fund (BEIF), NADB Loans, USDA, CONAGUA and state and municipal programs. This provides a ratio is

$1dollar of PDAP to about $61 dollars of construction funding for certified projects, further demonstratingthe

successful financial management ofthe technical assistance program. In addition, $7M in PDAPfunding has led to the implementation of projects through other agencies, of which the final construction costs are to be

determined. This would increase the leveraging effect of PDAP. SECTION 5: TECHNICAL ASSISTANCETHE MAIN

SOLUTION A Technical Assistance for the Border Region The BECC has worked a considerable amount

onprojects in its core sectors of water, wastewater, and solid wastefor over 15 years. The

technical assistance programs that have been utilized by the BECC have been

effective and successful in creatingprojects for the NADB to finance and, most importantly,have contributed to dramatic improvements in thequality of life in the U.S.-Mexico border

region. However, the next generation of public sector infrastructureactivity will requirea

newtype of technical assistance focused on impacting air quality and climate change tied to

energy efficiency, clean energyand transportation. A technical assistance programfor clean and

efficient energy and transportation project development and related capacity building could have the following

outcomes: 1. Border communities would have access to targeted resources in grants and

technical expertisein these sectors. 2. The BECCs role would provide for a high degree for


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success given its track record and management of environmental programs. 3. Border

communities would see their capacity to plan, develop, and manage clean energyand

transportation projects improve. 4. Clean energyand transportation infrastructure projectstied to

the public sector would begin to be implemented more frequently. Border States Priority Technical

Assistance Needs As part of the interview process with the border state government environmental and

energy agencies, they were queried about what they considered priority technicalassistance needsin their state. Their responsestrack similarly to the priority projects in that they show a

clear and ample need for technical assistance in the focus sectors.

Furthermore, renewables solve quickly; the catch is that Mexico needs outside

expertise to provide the initial jumpstart, as Felicity Carus, a UK-based

journalist whose focus is clean energy policy and finance, reports

Carus 13- UK journalist, regularly reporting on clean energy policy and finance from Californiafor a global audience

(Felicity, Mexico offers tantalising prospect of a dawning major market, http://www.pv-

tech.org/editors_blog/mexico_offers_tantalising_prospect_of_a_dawning_major_market)//BBSolar investors in the US and further afield would really love to get their hands on Mexico's solar market: great resource on

cheap desert land located squarely in the southern sun-belt. Some experts estimate that it would only take PV

panels spread over just 25km2 of land in Chihuahua or the Sonoran desert to supply

Mexicoselectricity demand . National legislation to reduce carbon emissions 30% by 2020 and constrained

natural gas supplies are pushing companies to renewable choices like never before. There is only one utility company to

deal with, the state-owned Comisin Federal de Electricidad (CFE). And its nearest neighbour is a guzzler of imported

electricity and already linked through the Western Electricity Coordinating Council. Electricity trade between

the United States and Mexico started in 1905, when privately owned utilities located in remote towns onboth sides of the border helped "balance" electricity demand with a couple of low voltage lines, according to the US Energy

Information Agency. Since 2006, Mexico has been a very small net exporter of electricity to

the US. But electricity imports will likely boom after the Department of Energy granted a permit to a subsidiary ofSempra International for a 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line that will carry electricity from a Mexican wind farm to the

California market. Meanwhile, Baja California is the location for Latin America's largest solar installation to date, a 30MW

project to be completed by the end of this year. When US president Barack Obama met Mexican president Enrique Pea

Nieto earlier this month, renewable energy was firmly on the agenda (along with gun control, economic cooperation and

illegal drugs). Unlike the US, however, Mexico even has an energy policy. The freshly minted National Energy Strategy

2013-2027 agreed only in April estimates that 6GW of solar energy could be developed by 2020. Some say that estimate is

way too conservative and forecast that PV will boom under these conditions, perhaps even 150-fold, while shorter term

solar growth could go from today's estimated 50MW-70MW capacity to 250MW by 2015. Oh, and did I mention its

growing population of 114 million inhabitants and an annual GDP growth rate last year of 4%? As if that weren't good

enough news, the grid has been overbuilt by 50% to accommodate anticipated growthas thecountry recoups its losses from the global recession. John Skibinski is executive director at Global Renewables Group,

which is based in Las Vegas with a subsidiary in Mexico called Socios Energeticos de Mexico Verde. During a webinar

ahead of the Mexican International Renewable Energy Congress in Mexico City next week, Skibinski said: "Within two and

a half years at most, Mexico will explode in solar energy because its infrastructure is ready for it. Its economic climate is

now accelerating, its government climate is favourable towards solar and wind there is so much desert land available at

low cost. We should see 250MW by 2015 of deployed solar farms in Mexico easily." He said that energy-intensive industry

was facing a price on carbon that could force more interest in renewables. "What we found from one steel mill was thatfor every 3MW of natural gas *electricity+ production, they need 1MW of solar to *reduce their+ emissions footprint, said

Skibinski. Even at the corporate level, not just national level, corporations are saying, hey if I'm going to keep my

production on full, I've got to do something about [greenhouse gas] (GHG) reductions. So a lot of people are going to be

turning to solar to keep their production going as well as ramp up. "Mexico is the 11th largest economy in the world, and

it's also the 11th largest carbon polluter in the world. It's the second largest polluter in Latin America, so it's highly focused

on what it should do with solar and wind." Skibinski, who has clearly sweated it out in the field, cautioned half-hearted

solar developers hopeful of striking Mexican gold. "You've got to bring your own support when you come to this country,

there is nobody here that knows solar, there is nobody here that knows wind,he said.


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It's new to the country and it requires training , development as well as pilot

installations. We've done that for the utilities, the banks and the government we've shown with pilot installations howwe can reduce GHG emissions. They are highly interested in new technologythey don't want solar panels that are 15

years old, 100W panels not going to cut it and they are already looking at 115W." Skibinski has already seen some

developers get burned by the Mexican sun. "I have seen 50 independent power producers apply for

power plant generationtwo of them got approved," he said. "The other 48 were on the wrong

place on the grid. You've got to do your homework when you want to put in an installation into Mexico. A utility will denyyour application if it doesn't fit their needs, they are very good at what they do in terms of their grid." Brian Schmidly, the

chief executive of Rio Grande Solar, said he was more cautious about the speed of deployment in Mexico, where his

company has development partners. "You're going to see growth in the PV industry," he said. "I just think it's going to be

slow this year and pick up a little bit of steam in 2014, but you could potentially see 250MW by 2015." Schmidly said that

government subsidies for electricity and bespoke deals between commercial and industrial consumers and their electricity

provider were major barriers to the development of solar in Mexico. Retail rates for electricity varied between 10c per kwh

and 15c per kwh, way too wide a variation for investor appetite. "Most consumers negotiate rates with CFE - subsidised

electricity rates makes solar difficult to compete," he said. Recent reversals in price declines for PV panels could also

compound the problem and slow PV plant development in Mexico, he said. "Panel prices [have] moved north for first time

in three to four years," he said. "[Panels] usually represent about 40% of a PV plant's cost. So if that's a trend that we're

going to continue to see as a result of the Japanese and Asian markets turning round a little bit faster than everyone was

expecting, then you could see some of the cost advantages for Mexico coming down and that's a trend that we need to

watch." Ernesto Hanhausen, managing director of Emerging Energy & Environment's CleanTech Fund, said that the push

for PV installations might come more from "emergency needs for power than regulation and willingness of the

government". He compared Mexico's grid system to North Korea in that its electricity system is so centralised. But the

Mexican government had been creative in its approach to stimulating private sector investments such as "banking power"

where CFE will take excess electricity and store it, reimbursing the generator up to 85% of retail value. But Hanhausen

warned that constrained natural gas supplies were both a boon and a challenge for renewables. "In the north-west, there's

big demand for natural gas and that's where the largest development of PV could be," he said. He added that construction

of a natural gaspipeline from the US could supply areas with greatest demand for electricity such as in the north, but

that progress was slow, whereas renewables could be deployedmore quickly . " In the [next]

five years , the best way for Mexico to be able to cope with electrical demand is to

really exploitthe possibility of developing renewable energy because that can come into play

much faster than the installation ofpotential gas pipelines,said Hanhausen.

Nancy Hartsoch, the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for SolFocus,

explains that the United States action is critical because--aid is high now, but should be re-oriented towards renewables

Hartsoch 11MA @ San Jose State, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for SolFocus(Nancy, A Sunny Future for Border Relations?,

http://breakingenergy.com/2011/05/10/featured-a-sunny-future-for-border-relations/)//BB

Amidst the darkening cloud of violence that grips the US-Mexico border region, a surprising

ray of sunlightilluminates a prosperous, cleaner future. Quietly above the hustle of Boulevard Tomas

Fernandez in Ciudad Jurez, 25-year resident Daniel Chacn is greetedeach day bywhat he calls giant sun

flowers, solar panels thatflank his office at the US-Mexico Border Environmental Cooperation Commission (BECC).The serene landscape of solar panels turning with the sun-in a dance, as Daniel would say-runs in stark contrast to the

Ciudad Jurez that America perceives: a city besieged by crime. Headlinesfrom his hometown have reflected

the strained relations between the U.S. and Mexicoin their efforts to thwart the violent trade of

narcotics across the border. Daniel sees a new and vital path in clean energy, and a path the US must

facilitate . A brighter future of bilateral trade and collaboration lies in the creation of

environmentally sustainable business opportunities that address the critical need for

clean energy in the region. This collaborative partnership to create sustainable

economic opportunity and jobs exists on both sides of the border. The sun doesnt recognize

political boundaries. Together the countries can use clean energy to alleviate the poverty and


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suffering in the border region and at the same time produce clean, emissions-free

energyto power one of Mexicos most important industrial centers. The US-Mexico Border region has

tremendous solar resources. A constant flood of intense sunrays provide an annual

average of 7-8 kilowatt hours per square meter daily. Thats enough energy to power

municipalities, airports, colleges, and industrial complexes. With intelligent

development efforts into renewable energy, the region could be a showcase forsustainable economic development and trade. BECC grasps that idea and is taking positive steps topromote it. Chartered to integrate environmental solutions to preserve and enhance human health and the environment,

BECC has taken the next step in fulfilling this commitment by deploying advanced solar energy technology. This is a

refreshing development in the region and BECCs effortsshould be loudly applauded by its board of directors from

both nations, which includes representation from the US Department of State, US Treasury,

the US EPA, and their Mexican counterpart agencies. BECCs offices are showcasing advancedconcentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology provided by California-based SolFocus. The two CPV arrays installed at the

facility harness the suns rays more effectively than traditional solar equipment by concentrating the suns power 650 times

onto tiny, highly efficient solar cells. Daniel checks the meters on these systems daily, and finds them powering roughly

one-third of the office buildings needs. With the war on narcotics claiming so many lives, coupled

with the devastation of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its unknown effects on the Gulf ecosystem, the people

and businesses in the border region desperately need positive, grass-roots efforts to

inspire a sustainable economic future. Daniel has seen firsthand the power that clean

energy has to inspire his community. Local schools, officials, family members, and

curious residents visit the site to get a glimpse of the giant girasols panels flanking the

BECC offices. The opportunity is real and the time is now to change border

communities to places where individuals like Daniels three granddaughters can have

well-paying careers and a clean and healthy environment. Today US aid flows to

President Caldern in support of anti-narco trafficking enforcement.While important,

providing aid to support solar energy project development in the region would be a

more effective means to creating a peaceful, prosperous, cleaner future.

1ac mex renewables lay

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