Monterrey

The City of Monterrey is the capital of the State of Nuevo León, the industrial capital of the northern zone of Mexico and the most populated city in the state with around 1,142,994 inhabitants. It is the industrial hub of the northeastern part of Mexico and is attracting considerable foreign investments. Although Monterrey is considered one of the best cities in Mexico by reputation, around 207,000 residents live in poverty, underlining the need for inclusive disaster risk management and sustainable urban development. 

Because of its location, Monterrey has experienced many natural disasters, principally in the form of flooding events and hurricanes – such as Hurricane Alex in 2010 – but also extending to heatwaves and droughts, which over the years have resulted in considerable loss of life and property. The city has expressed a strong political commitment to strengthening its climate action plans and expanding its disaster risk management strategy.

Monterrey adheres to the federal and state-level provisions for risk management in Mexico and Nuevo Léon, most importantly, the Federal Civil Protection Law and the Civil Protection Law for the State of Nuevo Léon and the 2024 “Programa Estatal de Cambio Climático” (PECC), which defines 140 actions to be taken to advance climate change protection in Nuevo Léon. At the municipal level, the Civil Protection Regulations of the City of Monterrey are most relevant for risk management. Other city-level regulations of relevance are the “Reglamento del Cambio Climático del Municipio de Monterrey” and Monterrey’s municipal development plan (“Juntos Resolvemos”), both of which address climate action more broadly.

Moreover, the city government is undergoing consultations to implement real-time alerts for natural disasters and is updating its Municipal Risk Atlas in 2026 to guide safer urban development. Efforts also include further collaborations at the state-level, such as Nuevo Léon’s emergency action plan to reduce flooding in cooperation with the National Water Commission (CONAGUA).