Abstract

SANTES ALVAREZ, Ricardo. Air Pollution Beyond Boundaries: Opportunities for Ecological Modernization in Paso del Norte. Frontera norte [online]. 2002, vol.14, n.28, pp.83-102. ISSN 2594-0260.

Air pollution in Paso del Norte, the region encompassing Sunland Park, New Mexico, El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, is a contentious matter. Grassroots and nongovernmental organizations on both sides of the border have pressed the governments of Mexico and the United States to seek solutions. The La Paz Agreement and the environmental institutions that emerged with the NAFTA entail binational efforts to tackle common concerns. However, several factors have prevented reaching satisfactory outcomes. The lesson is that institutions have internalized the air problem, through "air programs," and they have not arrived at any solution. Ecological modernization is an alternative to traditional modes of addressing environmental matters. A process of ecomodernization is happening in Paso del Norte, but its success is limited.

Keywords : environment; air pollution; NAFTA; civil society; U.S.-Mexico borderlands.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )