Project

MX01 Sonora Green Growth Strategy

At a Glance

Strategic Outcomes SO1 Reduced GHG emission, SO3 Increased access to sustainable services
Start Date Q1  2017
End Date q1
Funding Source Core
Actual Budget (USD) 450,000
Budget Percentage %
Actual Expenditure (USD)
Status Complete
GGGI Share (USD)
Poverty and Gender Policy Markers
Name of Client (Lead/Prime implementer if GGGI is part of a consortium)
Participating Organization (Funding/donor)
Name of consortium members, if any
Thematic Area
  • Green Cities
  • Sustainable Energy
  • Cross Cutting
  • Gender and Inclusive Development
  • Sustainable Transport
GGGI Project Code :
Project Manager and Staff +
Pablo Martínez

Country Representative, Colombia

José L. Amaya

Sr. Programme Officer & Subnational Coordinator

Project overview

Mexico is the second largest economy in Latin America, achieving a moderate annual rate of growth of 2.5% in 2015. However, Mexico’s climate change vulnerability poses threats to the country’s continued economic growth. Its location between two oceans, as well as its latitude and topography significantly increase Mexico’s exposure to extreme climate events. Further, Mexico is the 13th largest GHG emitter in the world, with the costs of its environmental degradation estimated to be approximately 5.7% of GDP in 2013.

The Government of Mexico (GoM) clearly recognizes the threats associated with climate change and the economic costs of emissions left unchecked. Mexico has demonstrated commitment to implement green growth to tackle climate change and as a core national economic development strategy by including inclusive green growth as an objective of its National Development Plan 2013-2018. The country has also created a legal framework that sets ambitious GHG emission reduction objectives, including greater use of renewables for electricity generation.

While Mexico has committed to robust climate action and sustainability at the national level, similar initiatives need to be implemented at the sub-national level. Many of the levers for climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainability in general, reside at the state and municipal level, particularly in relation to public transport, solid waste, water and wastewater, and urban planning. To address these issues effective institutional frameworks and capacity in the area of green growth need to be developed at the sub-national level.

Building on 2015-16 Work

The project builds on the work GGGI has been carrying out over the last two years at the national and sub-national levels. At the national level GGGI has assisted the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), part of the Ministry of the Environment (SEMARNAT), in the preparation of the Climate Change National Strategy and Climate Change Special Program, which among other issues, identifies the role that states and municipalities can play in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Also at the national level, GGGI has been supporting the development of recommendations to improve conditions for technology innovation in Mexico aimed at achieving climate and clean energy goals, while developing national industries and value chains. This work is relevant to the State of Sonora, which is heavily industrialized and presents opportunity areas for the enhancement of industrial activities and value chains.

At the sub-national level, GGGI has been working with the Environmental Commission of the Megalopolis (CAMe), a group of six states in and around Mexico City, with a particular emphasis on mobility and transportation systems. GGGI’s work with CAMe began after the need to enhance planning and implementation capabilities at the sub-national level was identified.

Based on this work, and GGGI´s experience in other countries, SEMARNAT and the recently appointed Governor of the State of Sonora, requested GGGI’s support to develop a State Green Growth Strategy. The State Government is favorable to the concept of green growth, as is sees the need to promote economic growth, particularly around innovation, while enhancing environmental protection and closing social gaps.

Effectively developing green growth strategies that align with Sonora’s development goals will require close strategic and technical assistance from GGGI across prioritized state level institutions and sectors.

Delivery Strategy

PROJECT OUTPUTS FOR 2017-18:

  • Prepare scoping report on green growth priorities where GGGI should focus its support
  • Deliver technical assistance for preparation of the State Green Growth Strategy
  • Support implementation of recommendations resulting from the State Green Growth Strategy

PROJECT OUTCOMES FOR 2017-18:

  • The State of Sonora prepares with the support of GGGI a State Green Growth Strategy defining a pathway toward green growth

Planned Results

The overall outcome of the project is to support the State of Sonora in the development of a state-level Green Growth Strategy. The project will be cross-cutting by virtue of being a state-level instrument, and will include diagnosis, green impact assessment, and sector/sub-sector strategic planning. This will be done by delivering the following outputs:

Scoping report for GGGI support areas and green growth priorities prepared. Based on the request to develop a state level Green Growth Strategy, a determination of green growth priorities will first need to be made. GGGI will conduct a scoping exercise of potential sectors and develop a report identifying areas of opportunity. GGGI will also establish a steering committee engaging state-level stakeholder to assess and validate the results, and develop a work plan targeting agreed upon priorities.

Technical assistance for the preparation of the State Green Growth Strategy is delivered. Based on the results of the scoping exercise, GGGI will conduct deeper diagnoses of the opportunities identified. Stakeholder mapping and situational and sectoral analyses will be carried out in order to evaluate and prioritize the green growth opportunities. This will allow for the creation of a roadmap that will chart the way forward for the development of the Green Growth Strategy, and will include specific action plans, identify investment needs, as well as a budget to support implementation.

Support provided for the implementation of recommendations from the State Green Growth Strategy. Based on the development and validation of the roadmap, GGGI will support implementation by assisting in the design of public policies, supporting the development of financial mechanisms and providing monitoring and evaluation services.