In this paper, we analyse recent trends in energy use and their impact on carbon dioxide emissions in the Mexican industrial sector (the second most important sector in terms of final energy consumption) in order to estimate the relative contributions of structural, fuel switching and real intensity changes between 1987 and 1993, During this period, carbon dioxide emissions from industrial primary energy use increased by 2%, while industrial real value added rose by 22%, The results suggest that the factors which increased carbon dioxide emissions were industrial output, structural change and the primary fuel mix effect (accounting for changes in the share of final energy as well as the fuels used to produce electricity), The largest role in energy consumption was played by intensity changes in a few industrial subsectors: iron and steel, petrochemical, sugar, basic chemicals, cement, pulp and paper and glass.