Growth and development do not and cannot go hand in hand with environmental sustainability. This is the common claim used around the world to legitimise the world's disregard for climate change and the consequences it could soon have on our planet. However, Costa Rica has refused to toe the line. After years of hard work, it is disproving this claim and showing not just Latin America, but also the rest of the world, the right way forward.
Latin America is right on the precipice in the fight against climate change. Its geography means it is one of the worst affected regions. Therefore, countries in the region desperately need to adopt sustainable practices to limit this rapidly degrading situation; and Costa Rica, driven by its national motto of pura vida, is giving them the recipe to success.
Latin American countries possess incredible biodiversity. Costa Rica, which alone possesses 5% of the world's biodiversity, is demonstrating that the key to success is not abusing nature through the practices of extractivism, but working alongside it and protecting it. This country has committed itself so fully to climate action that despite years of deforestation up to the 1980/90s, today, 53% of the country is under forest cover. Costa Rica gets 98% of its energy from renewable sources and emits only 0.02% of global emissions. However, the best statistic is yet to come. In 2015, the country ran for 299 days without burning any kind of fossil fuel. In a region which up to now is dependent on the burning of fossil fuels to meet its economic growth incentives, this is an incredible feat. This highlights how Latin American countries have a choice. Follow Costa Rica's long-term example, which in 2019 earned it the UN 'Champions of the Earth' award – the institution's highest environmental honour, or continue with the practices which will doom the region of Latin America permanently to the bottom of the world leaderboard.
Latin American countries, like Costa Rica, should develop their eco-tourism industries. Few regions of the world possess Latin America's natural beauty. The region must take advantage, but at the same time ensure it preserves these wonderous places. For example, 80% of Costa Rica's visiting tourists each year engage in eco-tourism of some sort throughout their stay. 10% of Costa Ricans are employed in the sector, and the industry accounts for 8.2 % of the country's GDP. This highlights how Costa Rica has built its future by combining growth and sustainability. It is also proving that these are not inherently conflicting concepts as they are usually painted out to be.
Costa Rica, however, is not content to act within its own borders. It views itself as and undoubtedly is a global leader in environmental action. The fact that Costa Rica is the first country to set out a detailed plan to decarbonise its economy by 2050 as was agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement, and the fact that it co-led the UN Climate Change Conference COP 25 in December 2019, as well as being the co-chair of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, highlight the influence and standing the country has gained in the international community through its climate action.
Latin American countries will benefit from emulating Costa Rica's climate focus. It will help the region create a better, more secure and sustainable future for itself but will also provide the countries in the region with the chance to actively be leaders and exert influence globally. The fact that in a world dominated by the global north, it is the small, Latin American country of Costa Rica which is leading the fight to tackle one of, if not the most vital threat to human security in the world today, highlights how this is not so far-fetched.
Climate action provides Latin America with the perfect opportunity. Costa Rica is showing its neighbours the way, and now it is down to them to sit down, take notes and make the changes necessary to safeguard Latin America's future for years to come.
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