La transición energética mexicana en una comunidad maya: el caso de San José Tipceh, Yucatán

Abstract

Objetivo: ilustrar el ejercicio de poder y sus contrapesos entre los actores involucrados —la empresa promotora del proyecto, el gobierno federal y los miembros de la comunidad, en especial los ejidatarios— durante la implementación de un megaproyecto de energías renovables en la comunidad maya de San José Tipceh, Muna, Yucatán. Metodología: durante seis meses se realizó una etnografía multifocal y multitécnica que recogió el testimonio de diversos participantes: figuras clave de la comunidad, ejidatarios con derechos agrarios y residentes que no conformaban el núcleo ejidal. Resultados: el tema de las tierras ejidales estaba devaluado y manejado a espaldas de la comunidad hasta que el gobierno federal intervino para aplicar la ley correspondiente. El proceso legal dio pie a la defensa del medio ambiente y al empoderamiento de los residentes de la comunidad. Limitaciones: puesto que cada experiencia de implementación presenta variantes y matices diferentes, es necesario decir que el caso analizado no es una muestra representativa. Valor: el caso de San José Tipceh permite entender las bondades y las limitaciones de la transición energética mexicana a escala local. Conclusiones: en el futuro se debe procurar que la implementación de este tipo de proyectos sea sustentable, tomando en cuenta el bienestar de los actores involucrados y que éstos se encuentren en una posición igualitaria de poder.

Unpacking the global climate politics-to-local nexus: Renewables, community struggles, and social impacts

“…The 43 awarded contracts, predominantly for photovoltaic (PV) solar projects, achieved international record-low generation prices, enabling meeting electricity mitigation targets by 2024. However, at least a third faced local opposition contesting the SIAs, resulting in litigation and cancelations (Martinez and Komendantova, 2020;Mekaoui and Baños-Ramírez, 2021).…”

“…In the RE industry, controversies over social impacts have driven widespread SIA adoption, yet problematic implementations have also made SIA controversial, fueling academic interest. Research provides vital insights into companies’ SIA control and instrumentalization (Colvin et al, 2019; Mekaoui and Baños-Ramírez, 2021), methodological gaps for specific social impacts (Hanna et al, 2019; Larsen et al, 2018; Luthra et al, 2015; Martins-Godinho et al, 2022), participatory and local knowledge models limitations (Cashmore et al, 2019; Khan, 2020), and constraints related to companies’ SIA practices, design, and management (Engelbrecht, 2022; Martinez and Komendantova, 2020; Rousseau, 2017). Furthermore, in highly socially unequal and vulnerable contexts, the theoretical foundations for their assessment remain underdeveloped, while power imbalances and barriers to participation can steer SIA implementation toward securing project approval rather than comprehensively assessing and managing impacts (Aledo and Domínguez-Gómez, 2017; Esteves et al, 2012).…”

“…Yucatan has been at the forefront of social struggle and public debate on local RE implications (see Figure 2). For example, in Ticul A and Ticul B, the largest solar plant in Latin America, residents have claimed misinformation; unfair land lease compensation; underestimated impacts, such as deforestation at the deployment site; detriment to traditional beekeeping; and the fragmentation of Mayan communities (Mekaoui and Baños-Ramírez, 2021; Llanes- Salazar, 2019). Local grassroots organizations and NGOs, such as the Assembly of Defenders of the Mayan Territory (Múuch’ Xíinbal), the Jo Resistance and Rebellion Network, Ixil Beekeepers, Articulation of Yucatan, Indignation, and the Mexican Center for Environmental Law, have consequently questioned RE projects and criticized their SIAs while offering management measures, as analyzed in the next section.…”

“…In wind farms, criticism focuses on their negative impacts on bird populations, bats, and pollination. Another aspect of the dispute is the market orientation of renewables and their benefits for energy companies and large consumers (Mekaoui and Baños-Ramírez, 2021; Sánchez et al, 2019).…”