The Green New Deal proposed in the U.S. Congress has been praised for its ambition and doubted for its scale. To the South, however, a smaller country is showing the results of a nationwide commitment to a green economy. Costa Rica has made a stark promise about its commitment to become a carbon-zero nation by 2050. Admittedly, Costa Rica has just 5 million people, or the population of cities such as Ankara, Sydney or St. Petersburg. So, how much do its contributions matter on a global scale? Can Costa Rica truly be an example, given the different scale a Green New Deal in the U.S. or China would require? In an interview with Wired in March 2019, the country's president, Carlos Alvarado, said that detractors seemed to be telling him not to bother. "People ask me why do this if you are so small? They say, you're not going to move the needle or affect the scale of the problem." His eloquent answer was that it was about "narrative and framing." To quote the government's climate adviser, "if we can't do it, nobody can". Almost all countries have made similar promises but Costa Rica has a long history of committing to achievable, affordable progress toward the goals it lays out. In 1948, the country permanently abolished its army and has used the money it would have spent to invest in education, healthcare and social welfare. This has helped it become one of the safest countries in the region, despite resisting militarization of its anti-crime strategy. For five years now, the country has also virtually powered itself entirely from renewable sources. In recent decades, it has reversed deforestation habits and achieved forest cover of 50%. This is not only good for the environment, it has comforted Costa Rica's position as a leading ecotourism destination and brought in millions of tourists.
Products and Services
Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado with First Lady Claudia Dobles
Wind energy plays a key role in Costa Rica's renewable energy mix
Read more on energy scenarios
Selected content on this issue.
