Costa Rica Steps Into Leadership Role Against Climate Change

Costa Rican President Carlos Alvaro Quesada assumed office in 2018 (Wikimedia Commons).

At the COP26 climate summit, held between October 31 and November 12 in Glasgow, Scotland, Costa Rica was one of many Latin American countries that strongly stressed the importance of addressing climate change and continuing efforts toward carbon neutrality, according to National Geographic. The Guardian reported that Costa Rica has already taken various steps to preserve its ecosystem, given that ecotourism, according to the Costa Rica News, is a primary source of its revenue. The Tico Times reports that almost 99 percent of Costa Rica’s electricity comes from renewable sources and, according to Trading Economics, nearly 100 percent of households have access to renewable energy. 

Few countries have matched Costa Rica’s efforts to mitigate their own carbon footprints. In 2020, renewable sources accounted for about 12.6 percent of total energy consumption in the U.S. and 54 percent of energy consumption in Panama, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), as well as 58 percent of energy consumption in Nicaragua, according to the World Bank. Hence, Reuters reports that Costa Rican officials push for enforced multinational participation. The collaboration to protect marine areas within the Eastern Tropical Pacific Corridor, which includes Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama, are such an effort, according to the Guardian.

According to National Geographic, the Eastern Tropical Pacific Corridor is one of the most fish-abundant regional and cross-border areas in the world. Conservation International reports that the corridor provides sustenance and income for many families along its border, but overfishing and climate change have tarnished the area. In response, Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez pledged at COP26 to protect 16 million more hectares of its maritime area by 2022, according to Reuters, an ambitious promise ahead of the 2030 global targets placed in the conference. The COP26 website states that these targets include a solution on carbon markets, a standardized international climate change response system, and an agreement that maintains the Paris Climate Accords goal to keep world temperature change below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, according to National Geographic, Costa Rican President Carlos Alvaro Quesada called for unity among all countries to build trust and a firm course of action against climate change. Costa Rica News reports that Quesada was also adamant about his country’s initiative, stating, "We are not waiting on anybody to come and tell us what the right thing to do is." 

Costa Rica also plans to transition away from oil and gas production through the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance in collaboration with Denmark, says the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance. The Alliance also seeks commitment to the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Accords, including the 1.5-degree limit.

Despite Costa Rica's environmental setbacks resulting from the pandemic, the country’s officials understand that climate change does not stop with the surge of COVID-19, finds National Geographic. Alongside Costa Rica, countries are now demonstrating more commitment and cooperation to mitigate the effects of climate change.