Costa Ricans have a proud saying to describe their way of life. Pura Vida
— which literally translates as ‘pure life’ — means so much more than that. It
explains their love for life’s simple pleasures, spending time with family, and
enjoying the good life in a slow and relaxing way.
But Pura Vida is under threat.
The Central American nation — best known for its beaches, volcanoes and rich
biodiversity — is one of the world’s hotspots where a changing climate will have
a significant
impact
in the next 50 years. The latest ND-GAIN Index shows
Costa Rica is highly exposed to climate-change risks, ranking it 61 out of 182
countries.
According to Minister of Finance Nogui Acosta
Jaén: “Estimates
from the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy indicate that, in
the last three decades, the direct cost of climate-change disasters was about
half a percent of GDP per year, mainly related to infrastructure.”
Its 0.02 percent contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) might be
meager, but Costa Rica is set to experience average temperatures up to 6°
Celsius
warmer
by 2070 (based on those recorded between 1961 and 1990). Predictions made by the
National Meteorological Institute suggest the country will bear the brunt of
more extreme weather brought about by the effects of El Niño.
More unpredictable rainfall patterns could affect crop yields and quality.
Changes in temperature also increase risks for farmers, with new parasites and
pests
to contend with. And warmer temperatures might lower worker productivity,
spread tropical
diseases
and see more animal species become extinct. Heavy rains also make communities
vulnerable to the devastating impacts of landslides.
But under the leadership of former President Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the
country is leading a quiet revolution in how it both adapts to such incoming
changes and mitigates its own GHGs. As the latest edition of MIT’s Green
Future Index shows,
Costa Rica is a ‘Green Leader’ that continues to punch above its weight in
how it is preparing for a climate-challenged future.
While Costa Rica has had worthy climate change-mitigation goals for the last
decade, its policies are now catching up with the ambition. Its previous
Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments set the country up
to achieve carbon neutrality by 2085. But its new National Decarbonization
Plan,
submitted to the government in 2019, is set to put the nation on track to be a
net-zero emissions country by 2050, according to Climate Action
Tracker.
That’s 35 years earlier, and firmly in line with the 1.5° Celsius
trajectory set out in the Paris Agreement. Some countries haven’t even launched
a plan yet; and Quesada has won many plaudits for the small state’s ability to
take action on a global stage.
So, what has the country promised to do and how will it get there? Well, much
will depend on whether newly elected President Rodrigo Chaves, who has only
been in office since May, rolls back any of Quesada’s plans. The former finance
minister has had environmental activists
nervous,
thanks to his admiration for fossil fuel extraction. During his election
campaign, he bemoaned the “almost religious fanaticism of saying, ‘let’s not
allow Costa Ricans to use and benefit from a resource that god gave us,’”
talking about natural gas. Opening new plants would almost certainly prevent
Costa Rica from meeting its decarbonization goals.
It would also damage the image and reputation of the country’s booming
ecotourism
industry,
which accounts for around 3 percent of GDP.
But with an almost 100 percent share of clean energy providing the electricity
mix and admirable achievements in preventing deforestation, Costa Rica is well
set to become a leader of environmental sustainability and among the first
countries to achieve decarbonization. Almost half of Costa Rica’s forests were
lost by 1987; but financial government incentives to pay communities and farmers
for protecting important ecosystems has virtually eliminated — and even reversed
— deforestation. The country’s reforestation efforts were recently recognised by
Prince William’s Earthshot
Prize.
In urban areas, 70 percent of all buses and taxis will be fully electric by
2035; and the nation has promised to put measures in place to ensure that, by
2050, electricity will be the primary energy source for transport as well as
residential, commercial and industrial sectors.
Of course, for any country that wants to meet ambitious climate-action goals,
finance is key. Costa Rica is the first country to benefit from the
International Monetary Fund’s new Resilience and Sustainability Facility
(RSF) that will help pay for the necessary reforms. It is a new financing tool
designed to help low-income countries build resilience to external shocks — such
as damage caused by extreme weather or the impact of a pandemic. Costa Rica is
an excellent fit for the RSF, given its vulnerability to the effects of climate
change and its ambitious climate-change reform agenda.
In a
speech
given at a climate event at Tufts University’s Fletcher School last
month, Quesada reflected on his time in office and the need for nations to work
together to drive climate action. “There’s a power in empathy — not to gain
power itself but for a larger end, which has to do with reaching out to others.
There’s a lot of ‘us and them’ going on right now. But getting into an empathy
position means renouncing power.
Polarization
is a very dangerous game.”
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Content creator extraordinaire.
Tom is founder of storytelling strategy firm Narrative Matters — which helps organizations develop content that truly engages audiences around issues of global social, environmental and economic importance. He also provides strategic editorial insight and support to help organisations – from large corporates, to NGOs – build content strategies that focus on editorial that is accessible, shareable, intelligent and conversation-driving.
Published Mar 3, 2023 1pm EST / 10am PST / 6pm GMT / 7pm CET