Costa Rica's El Plan Nacional de Descarbonizacion, or National Decarbonisation Plan, is a clear path towards transforming Costa Rica’s production of green house gasses, namely from tourism, agriculture and vehicle emissions.
The first lady of Costa Rica, Claudia Dobles who happens to be a civil planner by profession goes into some detail in the below video on how Costa Rica is overhauling the countries public transportation to zero emissions.
The First Lady explains that the goal is ambitions but is “already part of the DNA of Costa Rican people.” Recent studies estimates that Costa Rica is losing $2500/person per year (or USD$12.5billion) as a result of traffic congestion and pollution alone. She reiterates that the massive roll out of electrified trains through Costa Rican cities “is an investment in time with our families. This is an investment in the competitiveness of our country”.
In the mid to long term the benefits that will be realised by the efforts of the Costa Rican government to have a Carbon Neutral economy will be significant. “It is already driving significant responsible tourism into the country, there has huge private investment in green initiatives in Costa Rica outside of the government. Plus we have already seen significant improvement in the mental health and well being of the country – and plummeting crime rates” Dobles says.
Photo by Asap Story
Costa Rica are the pioneers of ecotourism in Latin America, Costa Rica’s green reputation is well deserved. Since the year 2000, 30% of the country has been designated as national park; almost 98% of the nation’s energy comes from renewable resources; and the government is on a fast track to become the worlds first carbon neutral country by the end of 2021. In addition to major policies, Costa Ricans take steps everyday to preserve their environment, it is part of the modern countries culture.
The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), which is a monopoly state owned enterprise that is the first electricity authority in the world that provides electricity on a sliding scale. This means the less energy you consume, the lower your rate per-kilowatt hour. It provides significant financial incentive to reduce consumption, and Costa Ricans have developed efficient ways to do this. Some of the major incentives is on-demand showerheads to disconnecting devices when not in use.
Photo by Perry Grone
Local businesses have also joined the movement, and many make efforts to be environmentally friendly. 74% of Costa Rica’s small and large companies make donations to local conservation projects. These donations are pivotal to Costa Rica’s vast web of private reserves and wildlife sanctuary’s. Over 40% of hotels and 80% of resturants, offset their entire carbon footprint. In even more astonishing news, Nature Air, one of the country’s two national airlines, became the world’s first and only certified carbon neutral airline.
Photo by Berti Benbanaste
Costa Rica has embarked on the worlds largest reforestation program since 2008 which now provides a carbon sink to over 190 million tonnes of Carbon and making a huge impact in offseting emissions. Tens of millions of trees have been planted every year knowing they will they will consume enough carbon to cancel out toxic greenhouse gases. Costa Rica is an example of how environmentally friendly policies and economic growth can work hand-in-hand.
Tourism is the nation’s primary export; every year almost 2.5 million visitors specifically come to Costa Rica to explore the incredible lands protected by environmental law. But Costa Rica’s eco-policies don’t end with tourism.
Photo by Maximilien T'Scharner
We can hear your brain ticking – saying “take me to Costa Rica!”
When you are there, what can you do to help? When you travel in Costa Rica, try to choose hotels, tours and transportation companies that are sustainably certified (CST) by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). Our team of travel professionals and conscious travellers themselves will be able to help you out when planning your Costa Rican adventure.
Photo by Sam Beasley
Our recommendations include selecting a carbon neutral car rental company, private shuttle and why not fly Natural Air domestically the worlds only carbon netural airline. Why not visit the National Parks on a tour from Intrepid who give back to local communities, use local guides and even better Intrepid, carbon offset all their trips globally.
The people, culture, history are definitely worth the trip and you will be exposed to some of the world’s rarest and most bio-diverse wild life in this absolute gem of a country. Costa Rica should be at the top of your bucket list, regardless of being an eco-warrior or someone just with a sense for adventure, this place is truly a tropical paradise.
Photo by Tj Kolesnik