21 MEXICAN UNIVERSITIES UNITE FOR CLIMATE ACTION
To strengthen collective efforts in response to the climate crisis, presidents and representatives from 21 public and private universities in Mexico signed a national declaration to coordinate sustainability initiatives.
The signing took place during the 2025 Summit of Mexican University Presidents for Climate Action, co-hosted by Leonardo Lomelí Vanegas, president of UNAM, and his counterpart at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Juan Pablo Murra. During the event, the participating universities reaffirmed their commitment to preparing students to address environmental challenges and to using scientific research to develop innovative solutions.
Leonardo Lomelí emphasized that the climate crisis is not a future threat but a present-day injustice. As is often the case, its impacts are not equally distributed, and vulnerable communities are the most affected. He added that universities cannot remain neutral in the face of this reality.
“This is not just an environmental issue,” he said. “It is a matter of intergenerational justice, social equity, scientific sovereignty, and democratic deepening. We must take the lead in driving change through knowledge, ethics, and collective action.”
One of the summit’s main outcomes was the creation of the Red Mexicana de Universidades por la Acción Climática (Mexican Network of Universities for Climate Action), comprising the participating institutions. The Network will advance a shared sustainability agenda and coordinate academic, scientific, and community-based initiatives to confront climate change.
Through the Declaration, the 21 institutions, including the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL), Universidad Anáhuac, Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City, Universidad La Salle, El Colegio de México (Colmex), and Tecmilenio, acknowledged that scientific evidence calls for urgent measures, especially a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
The universities that joined the Network and signed the Declaration include: Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, El Colegio de México (Colmex), IPN, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Universidad Anáhuac, Autonomous University of Baja California, UANL, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Autonomous University of Campeche, University of Colima, University of Guadalajara, University of Guanajuato, University of Monterrey, University of the Caribbean, Universidad La Salle, Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City, UNAM, Universidad Panamericana, Tecmilenio, and Universidad Veracruzana.
