Green, Sinking, Drought & Drowning

March 20, 10 PM (GMT -5)

This month I am reaching out to you from Mexico City. Currently, as I'm writing these words, I am sitting across from Doris in mismatched PJs (me) and an elegant Chinese silk nightdress (Doris - Existentialism & Memes); we are half asleep, our feet floating over flowery flip flops, as seen through from under the circular glass table as we munch on coconut chips and chili covered dried mangoes. As the wind blows outside, the architecture around us becomes an organ pipe, an eerie melody. The city is alive, the cars a-buzz, sunburns soothed by the night breeze.

March 21

Mexico City feels like a forest, roots and green bursting out of every corner, always finding a way; the soft scape and the hard in constant negotiation, edges blurring, enabling life. Every time I catch a glimpse of purple (my favorite color as a child), the jacaranda trees in full bloom, I feel giddy with excitement, my joy tinged by sadness, memories from some winters ago - those who passed lingering. The bougainvillea in pink from my grandmother's lime-painted house, with the palm, apple, and plum trees from the same garden. Pine and oak from my hometown and the lyrics to the first song I ever learned. The agave is for making tequila, along with the blue hydrangea; they are my first two posts on my social media... The plant diversity in the streets, all kinds side-by-side, feels like a garden of mnemonic devices. 

On our way to Teotihuacan, I see more of the city: Colorful houses climb up the mountains' skirts; however, green trees are seemingly a scarcity. At night, I am on my phone, zooming in and out on the satellite imagery, comparing other places I know to this city. From this perspective, it doesn't look too green. I check the numbers: It is a mere 6m² of green space per inhabitant, well below the minimum of 9m² recommended by WHO. The trees and pocket gardens on the edge of roads are a sliver compared to the built area in this grid city. Although nearby forests and public parks have a more considerable effect, they aren't enough to support one of the largest cities in the world.

March 22

I had forgotten the smell of exhaust from heavy traffic, I noticed, as the polluted air rolled into the cab from the rolled-down windows. I hear that for those who lived in the 80s and 90s in Mexico City, red alerts and curfews due to high pollution levels were a common occurrence. Birds would drop dead in the sky and dent cars during residents’ commutes.

Apparently, the air pollution in Mexico City is aggravated by its geographical location. Located 2240 meters above sea level and situated in a volcano crater, the lower atmospheric oxygen levels at this altitude cause incomplete fuel combustion in engines and higher carbon monoxide emissions and other compounds [1].  

Different programs, such as the Comprehensive Programme Against Air Pollution (1990) and ProAire (1995-), were launched to tackle the issue from multiple perspectives. As part of the ProAire program, vehicle use was restricted (Hoy No Circula Campaigns), and factories were ordered to limit their GHG emissions by almost half. There was a push for a technological shift and increased focus on green areas and reforestation. The programs also wanted to create a culture of sustainability and citizen participation. 

For example, as part of the City government's Reto Verde (2019-) initiative, anyone can plant a tree or pledge to take part in monitoring, irrigation, and other maintenance activities in their environments. There is an online form to record participation (as an individual or group), the activities to be undertaken, the location, the level of know-how, and whether support from the Secretariat will be needed. The initiative's website includes a catalog of suggested plants, tools, and best practices to help guide citizens. I remember thinking how curious it was - seeing people in different uniforms (one wearing a blue vest with the logo of the bank adjacent to the shrubbery she was tending to), business owners, and people walking their dogs, kids - anyone really, watering flowers and shrubbery in the streets. 

There are, of course, many large-scale tree planting campaigns throughout the world that haven't been very successful. The context and specific policies and management of the projects are critical. In Mexico, the $3.4 billion budget national tree-planting campaign, Sembrando Vida (2019, 2020,2021), has actually been found to have caused deforestation as the program lacked proper oversight. Farmers cleared forested land to plant new seedlings to receive funding [2]. 

It would seem that the Reto Verde Program might be successful as it is voluntary and includes vegetation maintenance. However, the program's success may be more limited in larger parts of Mexico City, where access to a running tap is rare, and residents have to rely on water trucks. 

March 23 

Coins in our pocket, we are on the hunt for street food. However, it finds us instead. Every few corners we take, there seems to be a taqueria or fruit stand: The smell and the colors capture us, we join the crowd gathered loosely around the bright lights. After food, as I walk back to the rest of the group, I notice the façades across the street undulating upwards, the windows where the building appears to curve upwards, almost a foot higher than the adjacent ones. However, I know this dreamlike sight is caused by the uneven ground composition and sinkage due to water depletion [3]. 

The rapidly sinking city (almost 50cm annually), crushing and breaking its own much-needed water infrastructure, is causing ongoing leakage, contamination, and disruptions in access. The impermeable surface causes floods during the rainy season... It is hard to imagine this city once stood on a lake, chosen by a god whispering into dreams about an eagle perched on a cactus while devouring a snake. In a way, with its ecological problems, this palimpsest of a city has been, for some time now, devouring itself. 

Perhaps not unlike Gaia and us.

[1] "Taking Control of Air Pollution in Mexico City | IDRC - International Development Research Centre." https://www.idrc.ca/en/stories/taking-control-air-pollution-mexico-city

[2] "Press Release: Analysis of Forest Impacts and Mitigation Potential of Sembrando Vida | WRI Mexico." https://wrimexico.org/news/bolet%C3%ADn-de-prensa-analizan-impactos-forestales-y-potencial-de-mitigaci%C3%B3n-de-sembrando-vida

[3] Kimmelman, "Mexico City, Parched and Sinking, Faces a Water Crisis."