Costa Rica Sets Goal to be Carbon Neutral by 2021
by Scott James in Carbon/ GHG Reduction
Costa Rica, already one of the greenest countries in the world, has the ambitious goal of becoming the world’s largest carbon neutral country by 2021. The only other country with nationwide carbon neutral aspirations is the Maldives, which recently held an underwater cabinet meeting to highlight its call for global climate change action.
As evidence of the national commitment, a website called CO2 Neutral 2021 founded by a group of young professionals seeks to develop policy and program recommendations around three steps:
(1) ensuring the country has a credible roadmap to attain its goal
(2) persuading leaders in business and society to take bold actions
(3) energizing the general public, particularly young people, to take actions and have their voices heard.
Their homepage states that Costa Rica’s greenhouse gas emissions will grow by 16 million tons and their current plans will offset 10 million tons in reductions, leaving a need for innovation to offset the remaining 6 million tons.
The Costa Rican already has many programs in place. What are they doing?
- 95%+ of current energy is renewable. (78% hydroelectric, 18% wind & geothtermal)
- 26% of their territory is protected as national parks.
- Costa Rica’s NatureAir airline is the world’s only 100% carbon neutral airline.
- More trees are planted per capita in Costa Rica than in anywhere else in the world.
- They are planning a solar monorail system in San Jose.
There are skeptics, many of which come from inside Costa Rica. Some say that the goal is a fantasy of President Arias, that he is vying for international acclaim and hiding the rising carbon emissions over the first 3 years of his new presidential term. They also point to the controversial Las Crucitas gold mine that could require clearing 125 acres of rainforest and potentially pollute the San Juan River with cyanide.
So will it work?
“Here’s the big goal, which I am personally declaring for the first time tonight [2007]. By 2021, Costa Rica’s 200th birthday, we will be a carbon neutral country,” President Arias said in 2007.
With happens in Costa Rica will go a long way toward showing what is possible around the world.
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Posted on Oct 18, 2009
carbon emissions, carbon neutral, carbon offsets, climate change, Costa Rica, offset carbon emissions
About the Author
Scott James
Scott James lives and plays in San Francisco. He works as a Green Copywriter, specializing in writing environmentally conscious copy for environmentally conscious companies. When working, Scott enjoys good coffee, innovative minds and challenging conversation. When playing, he likes to run the trails in Joaquin Miller Park, hoot and holler at poetry slams and make pico de gallo in his kitchen.2 Responses to “Costa Rica Sets Goal to be Carbon Neutral by 2021”
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Nov 25, 2009
Sad American Technologies as foolish as cyanidation are still in use in the world! Better techniques that recycle all waste waters are available, See Canadian Mining Technologists for “How To” ! This is an unforgivable travesty, for ROI, in typical American style, and it smells to high heaven! The Dirty Bastards! They lie! Every time! – Wind Turbines! nice to see “Perpetual” power, for the cost of maintenance only coming to folks in tropical paradise! Hydro – same story! “Perpetual” just like the Hoover Dam! No additional Fuel necessary! Watch Uranium stocks fall when this gets around! Solar, same story, lots of power from clear skies nearer the Equator, and again, “perpetual” freely given and uncontrolled, unmetered by man! Good Stuff! Now: Invest in super-insulation, for lower cooling expenses, and watch out for Yankee Doodle Carpet Baggers selling “last decade” technologies at tomorrow’s prices, he is in a “Cash Squeeze’ situation with the Asians and the “Yuan” and has his “Bull Shiite” machine in full, glossy, fold out pages , videos with sweet music and naked girls, high gear! Careful now! He sells lies! Planned obsolescence!