Critical perspectives on the just transition in Mexico: Territory and labour from a socio-ecological perspective

Abstract

In Mexico and Latin America, the imperative of the energy transition is activating new debates and disputes over what development, social justice, and environmental justice mean. In this article I analyze the expansion of green mining and energy projects in Mexico over the last two decades, identifying some of the labor and socio-environmental demands that have emerged in response. Using the Global Atlas of Environmental Justice as the main tool of analysis, the article applies the categories of sacrificed territories and precarious work as key axes of critical diagnosis. Within this framework, the article discusses the limitations to achieve a just transition in Mexico under models that reproduce the current productive matrix, regardless of their orientation is to market or State dynamics. With this diagnose, the article concludes by centering a socio-ecological perspective to address the country's environmental and labor demands, suggesting future routes for action-research in academia and organizations.