The politics of climate change at the city level: Insights from a comparative study of Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Mexico City

This guide summarizes a comparative research project conducted by the Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN) between 2013 and 2014. The study examines the political dynamics of climate-related decision-making in three Latin American mega-cities: Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and Mexico City, focusing on the gap between the adoption of climate policies and their actual implementation.

• Linking climate objectives to local issues and co-benefits is essential for advancing the climate agenda and building social support. For example, Mexico City's Metrobus system was framed politically as a way to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution rather than just greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly, biogas plants in São Paulo's Bandeirantes and São João landfills were primarily motivated by electricity generation and local air quality improvements.
• Political leadership and 'climate champions' are influential in the initial adoption of climate legislation and frameworks, but they are insufficient for long-term implementation. In São Paulo and Mexico City, changes in administration in 2012 led to a loss of momentum because the new leadership did not prioritize climate issues in their political agendas.
• Successful implementation of climate policies requires building broad social coalitions that extend beyond environmental groups to include the urban poor and business sectors. In Buenos Aires, bicycle manufacturers supported bike-promotion policies, while taxi owners' associations actively opposed them. In Mexico City, minibus owners and employees opposed the Metrobus initiative due to the loss of routes.
• Climate change suffers from low levels of politicisation at the city level, meaning it is not a competitive issue between political parties nor an electorally salient one. While the legislatures of Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and Mexico City all passed climate laws with cross-party support, the issues remain peripheral to the actual local political debate.
• The low level of politicisation may make the adoption of aspirational climate goals uncontroversial, but it can also lead to fragile political support and weak implementation. Because there is little electoral cost for failing to implement these policies, governments may struggle to deploy the necessary economic and organizational resources when faced with oppositional interests.

APA

Ryan, D., & Cuesta, A. R. (2016). The politics of climate change at the city level: Insights from a comparative study of Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Mexico City. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CDKN-Guide-Politics-of-climate-change_Final-WEB.pdf

Chicago

Ryan, Daniel, and Alejandra Ramirez Cuesta. The politics of climate change at the city level: Insights from a comparative study of Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Mexico City. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2016. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CDKN-Guide-Politics-of-climate-change_Final-WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ryan |first1=Daniel |last2=Cuesta |first2=Alejandra Ramirez |title=The politics of climate change at the city level: Insights from a comparative study of Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Mexico City |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=July 2016 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CDKN-Guide-Politics-of-climate-change_Final-WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ryan2016politics, author = {Ryan, Daniel and Cuesta, Alejandra Ramirez}, title = {{The politics of climate change at the city level: Insights from a comparative study of Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Mexico City}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CDKN-Guide-Politics-of-climate-change_Final-WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }