Marina Robles García is an oceanologist and head of the Mexico City Environment Secretariat (Sedema) since December 5, 2018.
A graduate in Oceanology from the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC), she earned a master's degree in marine ecology from the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education in Ensenada and a doctorate in environment and development from UABC. She holds a master's degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Ibero-American University, and the University of Colima. She sits down to chat on the sofa in my living room in Chimalistac, waiting for questions with a broad smile.
I studied oceanology because I thought it would bring me closer to the natural world. I've always been drawn to nature, especially the oceans, and I specialized in marine biology at UABC. I have a master's degree in marine ecology and a doctorate in environmental science. My training in oceanology allows me to understand many atmospheric phenomena through their relationship to the oceans. I also studied the Earth to understand climate change, the greatest threat we face as humanity. It has been very useful in my work at Sedema.
–Did this position at the Environment Secretariat bring you to Mexico City?
–Arriving in this city meant getting to know its atmosphere, because one of the capital's biggest challenges is air quality.
My training as an oceanologist allowed me to work not only on biodiversity, but also on understanding atmospheric phenomena and the solutions that can be found to air quality. Although I no longer dedicate myself to oceanology, I haven't abandoned marine issues, because its phenomena maintain a relationship between ecosystems and the atmosphere, and the oceans are associated with controlling the planet's temperature. My interest in the sea stems from the fact that 95 percent of the world's life forms are found in the ocean; it is where the most important biological wealth on Earth resides.
–Marina, Mexico has the privilege of having 11,122 kilometers of coastline
–Yes, the diversity of ecosystems, both terrestrial and marine, allows for different types of ecosystems that require different adaptive responses from human groups so that diverse crops can also grow.
