Climate change & corruption are linked. How can participatory policymaking tackle both?

By Ryan Gem

Against the beautiful backdrop of the Caribbean’s turquoise waters and lush Mayan jungles of Quintana Roo, Mexico, a growing ecological crisis could leave lasting socio-economic impacts for many. But change is coming. Over 3,500 impacted community members are now co-creating new climate policies to safeguard the environment and their livelihoods.

Ciudanos por la Transparencia (CxT), with the support of the People Powered Climate Democracy Accelerator, is using participatory methods to develop the innovative ‘Public Policy on Good Environmental Governance’ to protect and preserve the state’s rich natural heritage against corruption, extraction, and climate change. 

“We created safe spaces where there was confidence and hope to build a better state,” said CxT’s Project Coordinator, María José Tejero.

The Urgent Need for Climate Action

The state of Quintana Roo is home to some of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico, including Cancun and Cozumel. Its sunny beaches, sandwiched between the world’s second-largest coral reef system and biodiverse tropical jungles dotted with well-preserved Mayan ruins, attract up to 30 million visitors annually, and its tourism industry contributes an estimated 20 million dollars in spillover every year to Mexico’s larger economy (Sedetur 2024). However, the success of Quintana Roo’s tourism industry has come with steep costs.

Image showing erosion on the coastline of Cancun, in North Quintana Roo. Credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery

Rapid development and extractive practices have deepened inequality, strained public services for local people, and fueled corruption. Climate change has further exacerbated these pressures on Quintana Roo’s natural resources. The result is an environmental and social imbalance that threatens the long-term future of the region’s economy and the fragile ecosystems that sustain it.

Ciudadanos por la Transparencia (CxT) has been addressing the intersection of corruption and the climate crisis since 2021. They believe that the only way to effectively protect the environment of Quintana Roo from the threats of extraction, overuse, and climate change is to combat government corruption through participatory processes. Through their participation in People Powered’s Climate Democracy Accelerator, and the support, funding, and learnings gained, they managed to advance their mission.

Innovation Opportunities of the Accelerator

“We started with the idea of an environmental governance chapter, to be incorporated into Quintana Roo’s 2025-2050 Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development, and then we moved on to a full environmental policy,” said María. “It ended up having much more impact than the original idea.”

The Accelerator quickly opened up new perspectives and approaches. For CxT, the Accelerator’s biggest contribution wasn’t just knowledge. It was the freedom to innovate. The flexible structure, peer learning opportunities, and emphasis on adaptation allowed participants to design processes that made sense for their unique context.

Encouraged by the flexible funding model of the Accelerator, inspired by their cohort of peer practitioners, and emboldened by a favorable political environment at the time, CxT pivoted to a participatory policymaking process with the more ambitious goal of creating a brand new Public Policy on Good Environmental Governance.

Commenting on the fact that the Accelerator encouraged innovation, María, remarked that “this program allowed us to have an innovation process and open spaces to create.” She contrasted this with previous experiences when capacity building programs tried to push CxT to one method or approach or assumed processes would be linear rather than allowing for flexibility. 

“The fact that we could change our initial idea and that this did not compromise the funds was really important to us. The fact that this project was prioritizing the goal and not the process to get there, was really relevant as well”, said María.

Co-Designing the Future of Environmental Governance

CxT’s bold approach has brought the voices of more than 3,500 citizens to the policymaking table by holding 16 participatory processes throughout the state of Quintana Roo. They have also secured the commitment of the Secretariat of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance and the Executive Secretariat of the State Anti-Corruption System to help co-design and implement the Good Environmental Governance policy.

In CxT’s words “We are co-creating a policy that redefines ‘Good Environmental Governance’ for Quintana Roo, as the set of factors that establish a government system to guarantee the efficient use and adequate conservation of the environment in which a community interacts. Environmental governance encompasses the laws, norms, and regulations that control and sanction human interaction with the natural environment.”

The Public Policy on Good Environmental Governance rests on four pillars identified through broad community consultations. It aims to promote sustainable development, strengthen regulations, ensure access to environmental justice, and expand open government by guaranteeing citizen participation in decision-making.

Through this process, CxT has turned what began as a localized pilot into a statewide reform effort. It now has institutional backing, cross-sector collaboration, and a long-term horizon through 2050.

Collaboration Beyond Expectations

One of the project’s most exciting outcomes is a new, permanent space for dialogue on environmental governance and corruption. It strengthened collaboration among government, civil society, and academia while building social trust. “This project helped generate a stronger sense of community across Quintana Roo,” said María José Tejero, noting that it reached even areas once resistant to regulation.

The initiative also brings to life the Escazú Agreement—the first regional treaty in Latin America and the Caribbean linking environmental protection with access to information and citizen participation. By tackling corruption as a driver of the climate crisis, CxT is turning Escazú’s commitments into concrete local action and showing how the Agreement can be implemented elsewhere.

The co-creation process has also elevated youth and environmental experts as leading voices, alongside government, academia, and the private sector. Recognizing tourism’s central role in the region, the team even developed a section for tourists, highlighting the connection between local and global sustainability challenges.

A Model for Transformative Change

CxT’s bold vision and commitment, combined with the flexible support offered by the People Powered Accelerator program helped transform a modest proposal into a participatory experiment that is reshaping how Quintana Roo defines environmental responsibility and governance. It has set a precedent for how anti-corruption and climate agendas can work hand in hand, not as parallel conversations, but as mutually reinforcing priorities.

As María shared, “I've recommended the Accelerator to all our community's leaders because it was an agile program.” It was “very important to have the opportunity to create new ways to solve a problem” which was not “so strict on exactly what the steps are to create a project. It is more of a space to create, innovate and it ends up being very practical, gives you tools and recognizes that the environment is constantly changing. This is something commendable about this program.”

Through the project developed and implemented with the help of People Powered’s Climate Democracy Accelerator, Ciudadanos por la Transparencia has shown that when communities are truly empowered to participate in the decisions that affect their lives, even the most complex challenges can be confronted. Through its innovative participatory policymaking approach, CxT is charting a new model of environmental governance that protects the state’s fragile ecosystems from climate change and corruption, while empowering the people of Quintana Roo to shape its future.

Inspired to take action?

Run or improve your participatory and citizen engagement program – either focused on climate democracy, youth or more – by applying for the People Powered Accelerator and Mentorship by November 30!

Grants up to $25,000 and access to powerful resources created by People Powered members await.