On a recent trip to boost Oxfam's campaigning in Mexico I had the pleasure of visiting Teotihuacán, or the "City of the Gods," an enormous archaeological complex outside Mexico City.

While looking up at the ancient pyramids and listening to the theories on the city's demise, it struck me that 1,500 years on we have as much to learn about working with our environment as the city's residents did.

While many theorists agree a warring faction finished off the city, archaeological studies reveal that Teotihuacán was facing acute environmental problems. Mass, man-made deforestation most likely drove the type of hunger and lack of water that had communities fighting over resources to the bitter end.

It was as though the ghosts of Teotihuacán's past were sending me a message.

My meetings in Mexico were enlightening. Colleagues from large global NGOs and others, including the network of aid workers Oxfam works with in Mexico's climate-affected communities, discussed how Mexico, a rapidly emerging economy, can engage its people in the global climate debate.

While the country is in the forefront of showing global leadership on the issue, Mexicans living in and around Mexico City, a bustling city full of cars and dependent on fossil fuels, have limited understanding.

In collaboration with other groups, Oxfam Mexico has been working in rural areas to mobilise everyday people on a campaign to protect food security in maize, Mexico's staple grain.

"Sin Maiz no hay Pais," which means "no country without maize," aims to address food shortages in Mexico in part by reducing the amount shipped abroad for the production of bio-fuels.

After much campaigning and persuasion, the Mexican government gave up the idea of generating bio-fuels from maize and will now retain more as food. This is definitely a step in the right direction.

The Mexican government is at the forefront of championing the "Green Fund" - a mechanism through which the $150 billion a year currently being demanded to help people in the developing world cope with climate change - could be delivered.

To ensure the money is delivered effectively on the ground, there is a need for greater consultation with a wide range of actors including civil society and big business.

However, while Mexico's government does show leadership at the international level, there is much more that it can do domestically.

NATIONAL CLIMATE STRATEGY NEEDED

There is a need to set up a national strategy on climate change with the participation of national legislators, local governments and citizens with a long-term vision. Renewable sources of energy like solar and wind power need to be explored.

This should lead to the formation of a National Adaptation Plan of Action and appropriate legislation to set it in motion.

The planning process urgently needs to explore ways to support farmers on water and soil conservation issues, including adaptation to climate change.

By instituting a strong domestic strategy on climate change, the Mexican government will increase their authority in the climate negotiations on the global stage.

Mexico is part of the G20 group of major economies, a status that comes with responsibilities. The G20 finance ministers are meeting in the first week of November in Scotland. This is an opportune time for Mexico, an emerging power in the G20, to step up and encourage G20 finance ministers to commit new money to help poor countries cope with climate change.

This money must be on top of current commitments and in the region of $150 billion a year. It must not be taken from existing aid flows, as is currently being suggested by many rich governments. Taking money from tomorrow's hospitals and schools to pay for climate change adaptation makes no sense.

Mexico should feel confident that it has the power and knowledge to influence this crucial decision. As a Mexican saying goes, "El diablo sabe mas por viejo que por diablo" (the devil is wiser not because he is the devil but because he is old.)

There is a need for Mexico to show leadership among G20 nations, many of whom are known to give little and take a lot from developing nations. Like the ancient lost civilization of Teotihuacán, Mexico needs to play a more effective role in saving itself - and the planet - from extinction.

As Mexico edges toward celebrating its bi-centennial anniversary of independence, let's hope it uses its experience and wisdom to lobby for a safe and fair deal in Copenhagen. That will help it be remembered in history as a champion in the climate challenge.

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