{"id":26576,"date":"2019-09-18T08:00:02","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T06:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=26576"},"modified":"2020-05-22T14:39:08","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T12:39:08","slug":"costa-rica-plastic-carbon-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/costa-rica-plastic-carbon-free\/","title":{"rendered":"Costa Rica: how this small Country is set to become the first Plastic-free and Carbon-free in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"

Costa Rica attracts around 1.7 million tourists yearly, what is even more interesting is that nearly 80%<\/strong> of these tourists engage in eco-tourism<\/strong> related activities throughout their stay. Now, their plan is to be completely plastic-free<\/strong> and carbon-neutral by the year 2021. What is the drive behind their eco-friendliness and how the country prepares to be the first country that is carbon-neutral?<\/h2>\n

When you think about Costa Rica, you would probably recall dense, lush green jungles with exotic wildlife and the East Coast, where the peaceful waters of The Caribbean Sea wash the shores. This small country is located between Nicaragua and Panama and it is already among the top 5 countries <\/strong>that are the world leaders in renewable solutions<\/a>. Since 2014 the country\u2019s 99 % energy<\/strong> is coming from renewable sources<\/strong>, and for several ensuing months, they have managed to operate on 100%. In 2017, the leadership of the county made a promise for eradicating single-use plastic by 2021<\/strong>. They had topped this idea in the summer of 2018 when the new government announced even bigger plans. They strive to be completely carbon-neutral by 2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Hanging
Hanging bridge in the Costa Rican jungle, photo by Ben Ostrowera, via Unsplash<\/div><\/div>\n

Quick Facts about Costa Rica<\/h2>\n
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  • Population: 4.8 million, total area: 51,000 km2. It has a tropical climate and abundant natural resources that take up to 5% of the world\u2019s biodiversity<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  • It was selected as the greenest country<\/strong> in 2009, by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) and was twice ranked as the best-performing country in NEF\u2019s Happy Planet Index.<\/li>\n
  • The country is amongst the most progressive nations in Latin America. The agriculture is blooming and pioneering in eco-tourism<\/strong>, especially great in attracting tourists to its national parks.<\/li>\n
  • In 2015, the country ran 299 days without burning coal, oil or any other natural gas. A mix of hydropower, geothermal, wind and solar energy were used as natural substitutes.<\/li>\n
  • Consistent rainfalls are boosting the hydroelectric power plants and geothermal sources like volcanoes are used for total autarky.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \"Costa
    Photo by Isabella Juskov\u00e1 on Unsplash<\/div><\/div>\n

    The internal background that enables change<\/h2>\n

    Since the 80s, the ministry of Costa Rica had realized that their most significant assets are all nature<\/strong>-related, so they started working on preserving it. By now, one-third of the country grew to be a protected area<\/strong>, thanks to the continuously introduced and implemented incentives for reforestation and safekeeping.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe country is a beacon of Enlightenment \u2013 a world leader in democratic, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth,\u201d wrote Joseph Stiglitz, American economists, and public policy analyst. Costa Rica is also referred to as \u201cthe Switzerland of America.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Due to the small population, lack of energy-intensive manufacturing, but most importantly, thanks to the national resolve, the focus on environmental sustainability is high. The government is working on balancing the shortcomings of GDP with inclusive growth.<\/p>\n

    Protecting the local community<\/h2>\n

    In 1948, after a short civil war, President Jos\u00e9 Figueres Ferrer abolished the military in the country. Ever since Costa Rica has grown itself to be the center of conflict resolution and prevention, it also is the host country of the UN-mandated University for Peace<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    To protect the local community, Costa Rica has joined Scotland, New Zealand, and Slovenia in the Wellbeing Economies Alliance. These countries, instead of emphasizing their GDP, seek to ensure public policies that advance citizens\u2019 wellbeing. They are achieving this by implementing ideas to construct better welfare metrics for its residents. In 1994 the country amended its constitution, only to include \u201cthe right to a healthy environment for its citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Rivers and volcanoes for the cleaner energy<\/h2>\n
    \"Windpower
    Windpower in Costa Rica, photo by Christian Haugen, via flickr<\/div><\/div>\n

    \u201cBasing (electricity) generation on renewable resources allows the country to achieve one of the lowest ratios of greenhouse gas emissions to electrical consumption on the planet\u201d states the Costa Rican Electricity Institute. Over the past 4 years, multiple rivers, volcano, wind, and solar power plants were established to serve as alternative solutions. 3\/4 of the renewable energy comes from hydroelectric plants on the Reventaz\u00f3n River that was established in 2016 and currently the largest amongst hydroelectric plants in Central America.<\/p>\n

    Plastic problem<\/h2>\n

    As it was announced on the World Environmental Day<\/em> in 2018, the government plans to eradicate all single-use plastic in the country by 2021<\/strong>. They want to use alternatives that are 100% biodegradable or recyclable, as opposed to the petroleum-based ones. The program is partially supported by the United Nations Development Program.<\/p>\n

    Fossil free by 2021<\/h2>\n
    \"Costa
    Costa Rican road, Photo by Zach Castillo, via Unsplash<\/div><\/div>\n

    Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the youngest president ever in Costa Rica was elected in 2018. In his inauguration speech, he had talked about his plan of taking a measure ahead in reducing carbonization<\/strong>. Even though the demand for cars is rising in the country, still more than 60% of the country commutes by diesel buses or trains. This serves as an excellent opportunity for electrification, as the plan is that all public transport systems will run on renewable energy by the 200th year of independence in the country, 2021. The government is lifting taxes on electric vehicles<\/strong>, but a lot of revenue of Costa Rica comes from taxes on fossil fuels, that could throttle the country\u2019s funding stream, contributing to Costa Rica\u2019s rising deficit.<\/p>\n

    The act does not include a ban on fossil fuels, but to phase them out through new policies and incentives. Carbon neutrality<\/strong> allows for coal, oil and gasoline contribution, provided that their greenhouse emissions are counteracted somewhere else, like ongoing forest plantations and employing better land management.<\/p>\n

    A Costa Rican sustainability expert and economist, Monica Araya has talked about the plans that they are working on together with the government: \u201cGetting rid of fossil fuels is a big idea coming from a small country. This is an idea that\u2019s starting to gain international support with the rise of new technologies. A country already rapidly weaning itself off fossil fuels, focusing on transport \u2013 one of the last major challenges \u2013 could send a powerful message to the world.\u201d You can watch the whole interview here:<\/p>\n