Quintana Roo Demands Climate Reparations in Lawsuit

Quintana Roo is joining a class-action lawsuit against the federal government, spearheaded by environmental organizations demanding reparations for climate change damage to the state's ecosystem. The lawsuit is led by the Environmental Defense association, with support from the Ecocaribe organization. They argue that climate change is causing significant damage, including temperature fluctuations, ocean acidification, and coral bleaching in six of the state's protected natural areas.

The lawsuit seeks reparations for damages in the Puerto Morelos Reef National Park, the Cozumel Reefs National Park, the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve, the Xcalak Reefs National Park, the Sian Ka'an Reef Biosphere Reserve, and the Mesoamerican Reef System.

Over the weekend, Ecocaribe volunteers gathered signatures in Cancun and Playa del Carmen to support the legal action. They successfully collected the required 50 signatures. The organization stated, "The Mexican government enacted the General Climate Change Law to address the adverse effects of climate change. Regrettably, the government has not taken any action on this law."

According to the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp), Quintana Roo's coral reefs extend over a thousand kilometers, and the protected natural areas cover 245,268.63 hectares of marine surface. However, data from the Institute of Limnology and Marine Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Puerto Morelos unit, reveal that approximately 90% of the state's corals are bleached or dead due to climate change, which has increased both ambient and marine temperatures.