The smell of gas lingers in the air
In Veracruz, home to Mexico's principal oil wells, residents and indigenous communities say fracking has polluted their land, waters and air
They are urging the government to do no more. This is a threat to life, not just for me, but for the entire Totonac region
which has come together to file complaints and raise awareness about spills that have occurred not only this year
but in previous years as well. President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday
she is considering using hydraulic fracturing technologies, or fracking, to increase domestic gas production
Fracking, which Sheinbaum has previously spoken out against, is a technique to extract hydrocarbons from underground
practiced for decades by Mexico's state oil company, Pemex. Sheinbaum argues there are new technologies
that do less environmental damage and that the plan will allow Mexico
to be less dependent on U.S. imports. In the world we live in
Mexico must safeguard its sovereignty. And energy sovereignty is a fundamental part of that
According to Mexico's government, 75% of its gas used for electricity generation
is imported, mostly from the U.S. This makes the country especially vulnerable to conflicts like the war in Iran
which has severely disrupted energy markets across the world