In a historic election, Mexicans chose Claudia Sheinbaum to be their next president, making her both the country's first female leader and the first climate scientist to helm a major nation, according to Climate Home News.
Sheinbaum is also the first person with a Jewish background to lead Mexico, the Associated Press reported. An energy engineer who volunteered her time and expertise to work on two major climate reports for the UN (in 2007 and 2014), she will take the reins of the world's 14th-largest economy on Oct. 1. Her term is set to last until 2030.
On the campaign trail, Sheinbaum promised major investments in clean energy to the tune of nearly $14 billion. She also pledged to boost electric buses and trains, telling a group of business leaders in April, "We have to speed up the promotion of renewable energies," per Climate Home News.
Some climate experts are hopeful that Sheinbaum's scientific background and commitment to climate action will help accelerate Mexico's transition to clean energy. However, others worry that her close ties to outgoing dirty fuel-friendly President Andrés Manuel López Obrador could hinder progress.
As mayor of Mexico City from 2018 to 2023, Sheinbaum promoted solar power but made limited progress on urgent environmental issues like air pollution, according to local climate scientists and political experts cited by the news outlet. She has also expressed support for keeping electricity and oil under state control.
Still, Sheinbaum has broken with López Obrador on key issues in the past, like pandemic safety measures. Observers are cautiously optimistic that she will chart a more independent, climate-focused course when serving as president.
"I believe she knows enough about climate change and the need to solve it," said Xochitl Cruz Núñez, a climate scientist who worked with Sheinbaum on a major UN climate report, per Climate Home. Cruz Núñez expressed hope that Sheinbaum will use her knowledge and new platform to establish a clear emissions reduction and climate adaptation plan for Mexico.
With her historic victory, all eyes are on Sheinbaum to see if she can transform Mexico into a global leader on climate action and a model for balancing economic growth and environmental protection. Her success could inspire a new generation of climate scientists to step into the political arena.
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