environmental leadership in costa rica
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PLAN 545, 2012 Jessie Singer. Environmental leadership in costa rica. Outline. Challenges for environmental protection in developing countries Costa Rica’s leadership role PSA Program Carbon-neutral by 2021 Moving forward. Challenges for developing countries. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP IN COSTA RICA
PLAN 545, 2012Jessie Singer
Outline
1. Challenges for environmental protection in developing countries
2. Costa Rica’s leadership role3. PSA Program4. Carbon-neutral by 20215. Moving forward
Challenges for developing countries
1. They myth of poverty & environmental degradation
2. Population growth & urbanization
3. Rapid industrialization/ movement of “dirty” industry
4. Lack of infrastructure & technologies
5. Fractured and/or weak governance & lack of transparency
6. FinancingAdaptation Atlas (http://www.adaptationatlas.org/index.cfm)
Leadership in Environmental Conservation
• Conservation ethos rooted in a history of environmental activism & education
• International support to protect a country with 4% of total world terrestrial biodiversity
• Well-educated citizens & culture of activism
Alvaro Ugalde
Mario Boza
Leadership in Environmental Conservation
Green Initiatives:Ecotourism market90% + electricity
generated from renewable resources
PSA ProgramCarbon-neutral by 2021
Pagos por servicios ambientales (PSA Program)
• Established 1997 & managed by FONAFIFO
• Financed mainly by allocating 3.5% of revenues from a gas tax
• Based on services from forest ecosystems
• 2005 = 270,000 ha enrolled in program (approx. 19% of land)
Impact of the PSA Program?
Impact of the PSA Program?
Carbon-neutral by 2021
• Laws and incentives• “C-neutral” label• Carbon offsets
Moving forward with carbon-neutrality & environmental leadership?
Moving forward with carbon-neutrality & environmental leadership?
ResourcesLong, C. Costa Rica’s challenge: A pioneer in eco-tourism, the nation faces huge hurdles to going carbon-neutral, including the multi-billion dollar price tag. Latin Trade 19 (2001): 22-24.
Lovgren, St. Costa Rica aims to be 1st carbon-neutral country. National Geographic News. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/03/080307-costa-rica.html . Accessed February 27, 2012.
nef. Costa Rica tops Happy Planet index. The Un-Happy Planet Index 2.0. http://www.happyplanetindex.org/news/archive/news-2.html. Accessed February 27, 2012.
Pagiola, S. Payments for environmental services in Costa Rica. Ecological Economics 65 (2008): 712-724.
Sanchez-Azofeifa, G.A., Pfaff, A., Robalino, A.A., & Boomhower, J.P. Costa Rica’s payment for environmental services program: Intention, implementation, and impact. Conservation Biology 21 (2007): 1165-1173.
Steinberg, P.F. Environmental Leadership in Developing Countries: Transnational Relations & Biodiversity Policy in Costa Rica &Bolivia. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2001.
World Bank. State and trends of the carbon market 2011. World Bank Environmental Department. Washington, DC. 2011.