Energy and human rights: a perspective from Mexico

Abstract

In Mexico, as well as in many other countries, there are constitutional foundations for the protection and promotion of human rights. Accordingly, this paper aims to outline the conditions and effects of the recognition of energy access as a human right on the Mexican legal system, in which it has full application.

Keywords:

• access to energy
• energy law
• energy poverty
• human rights
• agrarian communities

Notes

1 Understood only as to electrical and thermal energy.

2 Figures obtained based on the Módulo de Condiciones Socioeconómicas de la Encuesta Nacional de Ingresos y Gastos de los Hogares (MCS-ENIGH) 2010, 2012 and 2014 and the MCS 2015. Consejo Nacional de Evaluación de la Política de Desarrollo Social, ‘Coneval informa los resultados de la medición de pobreza 2014’ (Dirección de Información y Comunicación Social: comunicado de prensa No 005, 2015) www.coneval.org.mx/salaprensa/documents/comunicado005_medicion_pobreza_2014.pdf accessed 15 June 2017.

3 While the concept of energy poverty has developed in the United Kingdom, it is associated with issues primarily of energy for heating and other energy demands; however, in Latin American countries, a more inclusive concept has recently been developed, adding to the variants electrical energy.

4 According to Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI) figures, 24 million economically active people receive less than 5,000 pesos, that is to say, little more than two minimum wages, which are still insufficient to cover this need. INEGI, ‘National Survey of Occupation and Employment’ www.inegi.org.mx/est/lista_cubos/consulta.aspx?p=encue&c=4 accessed 17 June 2017.