As far as the environment is concerned, few countries rival Costa Rica in terms of action and ambition.
The tiny Central American nation aims at total decarbonization by 2050, not just a “net zero” target. It grew in large areas of rainforest after suffering some of the highest rates of deforestation in the world in the 1970s and 1980s. Costa Ricans play an important role in international environmental policy, most notably Christiana Figueres, who helped to convince world leaders to arrive. the agreement on the Paris agreement.
Now Costa Rica has turned its attention to securing an ambitious international agreement to stem the loss of biodiversity. In January, more than 50 countries pledged to protect 30% of the planet’s land and oceans as part of the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People, led by Costa Rica, which is co-president alongside France and the KINGDOM UNITED.
The coalition hopes that the target will become the main objective of an international agreement to contain the loss of biodiversity this decade, to be negotiated in Kunming, China, later this year.
“Our approach is to lead by example. As Mandela said, ‘it always seems impossible until it is done’, ”Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada told the Guardian. “Conservation is one of the key factors that scientists point out to be relevant for the protection of biodiversity and also for facing the climate crisis. But working alone is not as effective. “
The world has never found a single goal to contain the destruction of wildlife and the ecosystems that sustain life. But the 41-year-old leader believes it may be different this time.
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What is the path to the Kunming series?
We will be publishing a series of occasional articles looking at the main issues and people involved in Cop15 of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity scheduled to be held in Kunming, China in 2021. The meeting will bring together governments from around the world to sign a Paris agreement. on biodiversity that sets goals for the next decade.
Quesada came to power in April 2018, defeating a conservative evangelical pastor who had campaigned against same-sex marriage. It was a rare victory for a center-left candidate at a time of growing global right-wing populism and led Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz to conclude that Costa Rica was a beacon of enlightenment for its commitment to reason, rational discourse, science and freedom.
But the pandemic and the resulting blow to Costa Rica’s ecotourism industry forced Quesada into painful negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, heightening fears of major cuts in a country that puts human development at its core, alongside environmentalism. .
Costa Rica, now a member of the OECD, has no permanent army, invests heavily in education and has a universal health system. The prospect of internationally applied austerity caused riots in October last year and Quesada withdrew from negotiations. In January, the IMF and the Costa Rican government agreed to a $ 1.75 billion (£ 1.25 billion) package that avoided some of the most controversial proposals.
Despite the difficult choices, the president said he was excited that global action on the environment will result from the pandemic, especially after the election of Joe Biden as president of the United States, with whom he spoke recently.
“It was a very closed conversation. We have many things in common. We talked about working together to face the climate crisis, ”said Quesada. “I think the message to nominate the senator [John] Kerry as an ambassador in this area is very strong. It will be a top priority. “
Quesada did not speak to Donald Trump during his presidency. But the Costa Rican president said the climate crisis and the collapse of nature are already causing significant problems in the region, including the migrant caravans heading to the border with the United States that often dominate the concerns of American Republicans.
“More and more, the real impacts of the climate crisis on our societies are evident. Just last year, Central America was hit by two consecutive hurricanes: Hurricane Iota and Hurricane Eta. Particularly in Nicaragua and Honduras, not only in terms of deaths, but also in terms of production and potential in terms of unemployment, the migrations they can produce mean that isolated storms cannot be seen as hurricanes, ”he said.
“Scientists say that hurricanes in the region are becoming more frequent and stronger. This will have an effect on our societies in terms of economic growth, jobs, inequality, inequality in terms of women, on migration. “
Along with larger partners, Costa Rica will continue to encourage other governments to take bold measures on biodiversity in Kunming through the HAC for Nature and People. But the way forward is not an easy one. The negotiations cover conservation and sustainable use of nature – a topic that will involve difficult choices about agriculture, the use of chemicals and the extraction of resources by far more influential powers.
Quesada recognizes these challenges, but says that while these problems also exist in Costa Rica, he will continue to focus on being an example.
“Environmental policies do not necessarily have a unanimous consensus. In recent decades, they have been Costa Rica’s dominant DNA, but there are also those who say that perhaps we should explore more. Even so, I believe this is a long way from our DNA. “
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