Why study the US-Mexico border?
The US-Mexico border region is defined as the area within 100 km (62 miles) on either side of the international border. This area spans approximately 2,000 miles and runs through the US states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California and the Mexican states of Baja California Norte, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas. Twelve million people currently live in the border region, and the population is expected to grow to 24 million by 2025. There are many climates represented in the border region and the landscape includes deserts, mountains, rivers, and wetlands. The border region environment is also defined by less desirable qualities including factories, traffic, power plants, unpaved roads, pesticide use, lack of running water, and inadequate waste and sewage disposal. All of these factors contribute to the pollution of water, air, and land and negatively impact human health on both sides of the border. The seriousness of the environmental health issues on the
