GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios, accompanied by stakeholders from Northern Marianas College and other CNMI government officials at the NMC Agriculture Research Station, launched the Green Growth Initiative on Friday, Jan. 26.
The governor signed an executive order committing the CNMI to the Green Growth Initiative, which consists of 17 sustainable development goals aimed at addressing climate change, loss of biodiversity, and pollution.
First developed by the United Nations Environment Program, the Green Growth Initiative sets the following goals:
- No poverty.
- Zero hunger.
- Good health and well-being.
- Quality education.
- Gender equality.
- Clean water and sanitation.
- Affordable and clean energy.
- Decent work and economic growth.
- Industry, innovation and infrastructure.
- Reduced inequalities.
- Sustainable cities and communities.
- Responsible consumption and production.
- Climate action.
- Life below water.
- Life on land.
- Peace, justice, and strong institutions.
- Partnerships.
In a statement, Palacios said the initiative is aimed at conserving the CNMI’s resources for future generations.
“Our Green Growth Initiative is not just about changing the way we develop, it is also changing the way we think about development. We're changing our mindset in everything we do,” he said. “We must think how can we do better for the next generation and the next generation thereafter.”
He said NMC is the “hub” for the CNMI’s Green Growth Initiative’s activities. He also announced that the CNMI will join the Local2030 initiative, which is a coalition of island leaders “dedicated to achieving progress related to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.”
Palacios and NMC President Galvin Deleon Guerrero, Ed.D., will serve as chairs of a forthcoming working group of island stakeholders, who will “create and implement green growth strategies for action.”
Deleon Guerrero said the launch of the Green Growth Initiative “is a testament to our legacy as a community, and that legacy is not one of helpless victimhood but one of active agency.”
Ahead of the establishment of the Green Growth Initiative, NMC already “wholeheartedly embraced this mindset” through various programs at NMC-CREES, the pursuit of Sea Grant status, and partnerships with the Blue Nature Alliance and 500 Sails to “support indigenous-centered, place-based learning,” he added.
Palacios named his special assistant for climate policy and planning, Tina Sablan, as co-lead of the working group. NMC-Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Services Interim Dean Patricia Coleman is the co-lead from the college.
In an interview, Coleman said the working group will “finalize a plan on how we intend to make the Green Growth Initiative a reality.”
NMC is already engaged in regenerative agriculture work through various programs such as agroforestry workshops, Coleman said. That is one area that can be explored for possible inclusion in the CNMI’s implementation of sustainable development goals, she added. She also said that work can be done to move the CNMI toward more renewable energy options.
She said the plan will be drafted and finalized for public release by April 22 this year.