SCERP: Promoting a Brighter Future for the U.S.-Mexican Border Region through Sustainability Science

Discovery, learning, and innovations related to people, ideas, and tools

SCERP's vision for the U.S.-Mexican border region is a sustainable and responsible border economy, involved binational community, healthy natural environment, and proper resource management that provides all its residents a satisfactory and secure quality of life through enhanced employment, education, and business opportunities.

The Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy or SCERP, a collaboration of five U.S. and five Mexican universities located in all ten border states, assists U.S.-Mexican border peoples and their environments by applying research information, insights, and innovations. The five American universities are Arizona State University, New Mexico State University, San Diego State University, the University of Texas at El Paso, and the University of Utah. The Mexican universities are El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Juárez, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, and Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez.

SCERP was created in 1989 and was first funded by Congress in 1990 to address environmental issues of the U.S.-Mexico border region and to “initiate a comprehensive analysis of possible solutions to acute air, water and hazardous waste problems that plague the United States - Mexico border region.” Since then SCERP has implemented about 400 projects involving as many as a thousand individuals.

The collaboration works closely with the EPA-HHS-SEMARNAT-SALUD IBEP, Border XXI, and 2012 Programs and other multi-national organizations and has the multi-fold mission of applied research, outreach, education, policy development, and regional capacity building for the communities, our ultimate customers.

SCERP exists to address the rapidly deteriorating border environment, to protect and enhance the quality of life and health of border residents, and to support the educational mission of our universities. SCERP’s vision is a vital region with dynamic and diverse economy, sustainable environmental quality, intact ecological systems and processes, and a more equitable quality of life.

The approach used by SCERP, is to integrate and focus trans-disciplinary academic expertise; binational, state, tribal, and local policy making; non-governmental organization advocacy capacity; and private industry attention and influence on trans-border issues.

SCERP informs the decision-making process without advocating for or against a particular position. By interpreting the results of unbiased scientific inquiry it provides motivation to adopt comprehensive, regional, and long-term policies and solution sets

SCERP is also the primary sponsor of an annual think tank-style policy conference, called the Border Institute, that convenes the 100 top decision-makers and stakeholders from the region to examine complex and critical issues and recommend policy actions