The La Paz city council on April 9 approved the municipality’s first formal air quality program, a policy framework called “Mejor Aire” (Better Air) designed to monitor, control, and reduce air pollution across the city.
The vote also authorized a cooperation agreement with the Baja California Sur state government to fund and operate an air quality monitoring station. That station is already collecting data and reporting it to Mexico’s National Air Quality Information System (SINAICA).
Court Order Drove the Policy
The program fulfills a February 2023 federal court order that required La Paz to develop a formal air quality strategy. The legal case was brought by CEMDA (Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental), an environmental law organization, along with the citizen observatory Cómo Vamos La Paz. Both groups had pushed for years to force the city to address pollution from industrial activity, vehicle emissions, and dust.
La Paz has lacked any institutional framework for tracking or regulating air quality until now. While the capital of Baja California Sur generally enjoys good air, readings have not been systematically collected or acted upon by local authorities. Real-time air quality index data from monitoring platforms currently rates La Paz air as “Good” on the U.S. AQI scale, but residents and advocates have long called for consistent local oversight.
Environmental Groups Call for Quick Action
Environmental organizations welcomed the council vote but cautioned that the real challenge lies ahead. Advocates called for a monitoring working group to be formally installed within two months. They also stressed the need for adequate budget backing to keep the monitoring station operational and to enforce emissions reduction targets outlined in the program.
The Mejor Aire program covers several areas: ongoing pollutant monitoring, emissions controls on local sources, and measurable reduction targets. Its success will depend on whether city hall allocates staff and funds to carry out the plan beyond the initial approval.
For the roughly 300,000 residents of La Paz, including a sizable English-speaking expat community, the program marks the first time the municipal government has committed to systematically tracking what is in the air. The monitoring station’s data is publicly accessible through SINAICA, Mexico’s federal air quality database.
This story was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.