Mexico City, Mexico - Mexico's legislature passed one of the strongest national climate-change laws to date this past Thursday. The Mexican senate unanimously passed the bill, clearing the way for President Felipe Calderon to sign it and join the United Kingdom as the only countries with legally binding emissions goals aimed at stemming the effects of climate change.

Mexico currently ranks number eleven in the world for both the size of its economy and its level of carbon emissions.

The law was welcomed by environmental groups, amid concerns about Mexico's ability to enforce legislation, as it seeks to promote policies and incentives to reduce carbon emissions, decrease the use of fossil fuels, and make renewable power more competitive.

The new measure, passed after three years of debate and revisions, contains many sweeping provisions to mitigate climate change, including a mandate to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide to 30% below 2000 levels by the year 2020, and by 50% by 2050.

Furthermore, it stipulates that 35% of the country's energy should come from renewable sources by 2024, and requires mandatory emissions reporting by the country's largest polluters. Although there was initial resistance from Mexico's steel and cement industries, the bill passed with bipartisan support.

It will also set up a National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change who, along with the energy ministry, will establish and oversee the implementation of policies and incentives to promote low-carbon technologies. A fund will also be developed by these agencies for efforts at tackling climate change.

The senators underlined how Mexico is already experiencing the effects of climate change. The country is experiencing record drought in many areas this year and heavier and more frequent rains in other regions; the type of weather that can be expected to occur as climate change takes hold.

"It’s something that out of necessity we have to apply. We hope that Mexico will keep being a leader on climate change," said Juan Beazaury, Mexico representative for The Nature Conservancy environmental organization.

In 2009, the United States tried, unsuccessfully, to pass a similar climate change bill.