• Preceding her election as Mexico’s president in October, Claudia Sheinbaum acted as the mayor of Mexico City and implemented a sustainable public transport reform that helped cut millions of tons of carbon emissions and improved accessibility for poorer citizens.
• The reform began in 2018 and has been continued even following Sheinbaum’s exit as mayor due to international recognition of success and little pushback from domestic veto players.
• Sheinbaum was able to further her standing as an environmental leader and garner more support from voters, helping cement her as one of modern-day’s most popular presidents domestically and allowing her to implement her political ambitions, most notably the Fourth Transformation as envisioned by López Obrador. 

Why is Sheinbaum HOT?

Answer: While serving as Mexico City mayor, Sheinbaum began a successful sustainability-centred reform of the city’s public transport system, helping cut 2,260,656 tonnes of CO2 and garner support from lower economic classes for subsequent presidential elections.

The current president of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum, inaugurated in October of 2024, served as the mayor of Mexico City from 2018 till 2024 under the labour party Morena. Having an extensive background in energy efficiency and climate change mitigation as well as previous experience in political positions, Sheinbaum was intent on tackling the climate change-accelerated consequences present in the city.

Mexico City struggled with fatal air pollution that has been linked to about 14,000 premature deaths in one year. Among the air pollutants present in the city, vehicle emissions have been estimated to produce 86% of total carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, and over 50% of both particulate matter 2.5 and 10 emissions. Air pollution in the city has a clear socioeconomic dimension, with geographic concentrations of said pollutants negatively correlating with wage distribution, and health issues confounded by more difficulty reaching health services.

In an effort to address these concerns, Sheinbaum implemented a sustainability-centred reform of Mexico City’s public transport system. Among them was the introduction of Cablebús, 25 km of cable cart lines that are used daily by 142,000 new passengers. Furthermore, the largest Latin American fleet of electric buses containing 115 vehicles was brought to the Metrobús system, and bike lanes in the city were doubled to 380 km, while 2,500 public electric bikes were introduced to the new Ecobici system.

The entire reform has reportedly cut 2,260,656 tons of carbon dioxide emissions that would have otherwise been produced. This prompted much domestic and international attention on Sheinbaum, further cementing her authority as a climate leader, and helping garner support from the 40% of Mexico’s population living below the poverty line. In the 2024 presidential elections, Sheinbaum would receive over 60% of votes from lower wage classes, and in Mexico City saw the largest share of votes in poorer and more isolated districts, where citizens most affected by the public transport reform.

What is changing Sheinbaum’s heat level?

Answer: Veto players, Mexico City governance, and funding dynamics did not cool the reform’s effectiveness or her momentum. 

Morena’s political and economic control over Mexico City reinforced her heat level and allowed a smooth implementation with visible success. The centralised governance structure of Mexico City allows the Head of Government, Sheinbaum, to hold significant authority over urban transport policies and budget allocation. Beyond Mexico City, Morena held, and continues to hold, dominance at both city and federal levels. Possible veto players that had the leverage to block or delay her initiative didn’t pursue the option. These include federal agencies, opposition parties, or private transport unions. 

Strategic investment coordinated with broad support and key interest groups prevented any cooling. The strong financial backing directed towards public transport reflected alignment between public demand and environmental priorities that reduced friction with business or civil groups. By receiving technical assistance from the ZEBRA Alliance, composed of a network of organizations, cost-efficiency and ideal credit terms were achieved across a diverse range of financial providers. Similarly, the ‘Corredor Reforma’ composed of 7 businesses, provided subsidies for Ecobici and Dezba memberships directly for public transport. 

Federal backing and international recognition served as a shield from weaker criticism. Criticism arose from mobility consultants and urban cyclist groups during the proposal years surrounding the suboptimal environmental characteristics for cycling. Following the implementation, the Citizen Parliamentary Association condemned her fourth government report over transport service quality concerns.  Nevertheless, international recognition in the form of the “Sustainable Transport Award” or Bloomberg Philanthropy’s “Healthy City Award,” legitimized her initiatives on a global stage. Additionally, the continuation of this policy by her successor Clara Brugada demonstrates the legitimized domestic support as well. 

What is driving Sheinbaum?

Answer: While putting a large emphasis on environmental goals and climate change’s role in economic inequality, continuing the Fourth Transformation as set by her predecessor López Obrador holds the most weight in her political agenda. 

Sheinbaum’s political career is largely built on environmental politics, as exemplified by her first major position being Mexico City’s Secretary of Environment between 2000 and 2006. With a particular focus in social mobility, she has been vocal about climate change’s role in amplifying economic inequalities. She has not always prioritized sustainability over other leadership goals, receiving backlash from environmental groups on her approving highway construction over protected Xochimlico wetlands, and recent budget cuts to federal institutions, including the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT).

Being a founding member of Morena in 2014, her general political interests align closely with those of the party. According to their 2024-2030 term agenda, much of the party’s attention is placed on mitigating economic inequalities and improving the country’s environmental protections, which aligns with their voting base, which is largely built on support from lower economic classes. However, throughout Sheinbaum’s entire presidential campaign, she has made clear her intention to continue the Fourth Transformation as begun by her predecessor López Obrador.

Being close political allies for decades, Sheinbaum has spent much of her political career being accused as a puppet of the polarizing ex-president. Although they have occasionally differed in political opinions in the past, Sheinbaum has not hid her interest in continuing the political reforms López Obrador attempted implementing during his presidency. The Fourth Transformation includes goals like decreasing poverty, corruption, and crime, but is most controversial due to multiple planned Constitutional amendments. The proposed amendments include a Supreme Court reform, which has already been approved under Sheinbaum’s presidency, and are attracting considerable criticism from international observers concerned about Mexico’s continued functioning as a democracy with its implementation.

What does this mean for you?

Answer: Despite the lack of overarching geopolitical consequences, this serves as one of the growing examples of successful urban transformation—your city could be next, drawing lessons from both the strengths of Sheinbaum’s reform and the earlier initiatives that inspired it.

Congestion is a widespread issue caused by the mismanagement of urban transport. Prior to the reform, Mexico City was one of the world’s most congested cities. Congestion is expensive in terms of actual monetary cost, emissions, and lives. Transportation accounts for 1/5th of global carbon dioxide emissions. 

As a starting point for the reform, Sheinbaum was inspired by previous successes enabled by small steps that aided in making lifestyles more sustainable. Other cities such as Mumbai, São Paulo, Shenzhen, London, Santiago, and Los Angeles implemented the mitigation strategy of electric buses that improved air quality.

Through Bogota’s recreational bike path, Guadalajara’s “Paseo de Todos,” and Barcelona and Paris’ creation of pedestrian and cycling streets, Sheinbaum was inspired to invest in cycling culture. It’s about a practical application that, at one point, every city could have to enact and use examples like Mexico City as the blueprint. The uniqueness of this application is Sheinbaum’s focus on social justice and equity. These angles become increasingly pertinent considering the rising global inequality.

IExRAIA Summer Research Program:

This article is part of a report on Claudia Sheinbaum produced as part of an RAIA research program on climate leaders. For a full picture of Ruto’s climate leadership, including the sources, read the full report. This project was fully financed by IE University’s IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs.

Authors: Josip Biondić & Manuela Altés Alcaraz

Editor: Francia Morales

Project Lead: Roxane de Bergevin & Stefani Obradovic