Isabel Rodríguez Peña earned her Ph.D. in Economics from the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM) and subsequently completed postdoctoral fellowships at Freie Universität Berlin and El Colegio de México. Since 2015, she is Lecturer at the Faculty of Economics at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Since 2022 she is a member of the National System of Researchers (SNI). Her research focuses on the political economy of energy and extractivism in Latin America. In particular, she analyzes the tensions between energy security, the energy transition, and socio-ecological conflicts related to hydrocarbons and critical minerals. By combining macroeconomic analysis with approaches from political ecology and public policy analysis, her work offers relevant insights into the challenges of a more socially just energy transition.

 

Publications:

2025 (with Puyana, A). "The Power of Big Oil on Energy Transition and Risks to Energy Security." Latinoamérica. Revista de Estudios Latinoamericanos.

2025. "De los retos de la transición energética a los efectos colaterales en los sistemas acuíferos" Global Energy, México.

 2024. "Seguridad energética sustentable: pilar de la política nacional en México.

2023 (with K. Zimmermann). "Contradictions Between Energy and Climate Change Mitigation Policy in a Country with Oil Reserves: The Case of Mexico." Springer.

2023 (with A. Puyana). "The green energy transition: Expansion and deepening of extractivism ." En: Henry Veltmeyer and Arturo Ezquerro-Cañete (eds.). Extractivism to Sustainability Scenarios and Lessons from Latin America. New York: Routledge.

2023 (with V. Santillan, M. García y A. de La Vega). "Drivers of Electricity GHG Emissions in Mexican Energy Transition." Elsevier Energy Policy.

2023. "De la seguridad energética en la década de los 70 a una visión sustentable, una revisión de la literatura." Interdisciplina UNAM, Volumen 11, pp. 387-408.

 

Resarch project as CALAS fellow:

Title: “The Socioecological Paradox of the Energy Transition: Mineral Demand, Water Stress, and Socio-environmental Conflicts in Mexico”.

Abstract: The global shift toward decarbonization has positioned the energy transition as a central pillar in climate policy. However, this transformation presents new socioecological dilemmas for resource-rich yet socioeconomically fragile regions such as Latin America. This project critically examines the collateral effects of the energy transition in Mexico, focusing on the growing demand for critical minerals and the consequent intensification of water-related socioenvironmental conflicts in mining-intensive regions.
Using an adapted NEXUS methodology (water-energy-minerals), the study proposes a systemic evaluation of how changes in the energy matrix—especially the rise of non-conventional renewables—lead to an expansion of extractive activities, particularly in dry regions with pre-existing water stress. The analysis focuses on six northern Mexican states (Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Sonora,
Zacatecas) where mining activity and water scarcity converge, resulting in cumulative ecological impacts and increased conflict potential. Especially in states such as Zacatecas, Coahuila, Sonora and Durango where there are already a large number of social conflicts related to mining activities. These findings are complemented with national data on the consumption of water by electricity
generation and very detailed information of Unified Watershed and Water Information System (SIUCAM).
Through an interdisciplinary lens combining political economy, environmental governance, and public policy analysis, this research seeks to problematize the dominant narrative of “green energy” as inherently sustainable. By integrating territorial indicators and scenario modeling based on national and international projections (e.g., IRENA, IEA), the project aims to assess the risk landscape for
communities situated at the intersection of extractive frontiers and water insecurity. Ultimately, this study contributes to the broader debate on socioecological transformations in Latin America, emphasizing the urgent need to align climate strategies with environmental justice and sustainable water governance.