1. ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP IN COSTA RICA PLAN 545, 2012 Jessie Singer

2. Outline 1.Challenges for environmental protection in developing countries 2.Costa Rica’s leadership role 3.PSA Program 4.Carbon-neutral by 2021 5.Moving forward

3. 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.Financing Adaptation Atlas (http://www.adaptationatlas.org/index.cfm)http://www.adaptationatlas.org/index.cfm

4. 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

5. Leadership in Environmental Conservation Green Initiatives:  Ecotourism market  90% + electricity generated from renewable resources  PSA Program  Carbon-neutral by 2021

6. 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)

7. Impact of the PSA Program?

9. Carbon-neutral by 2021 Laws and incentives “C-neutral” label Carbon offsets

10. Moving forward with carbon-neutrality & environmental leadership?

12. Resources Long, 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 1 st carbon-neutral country. National Geographic News. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/03/080307-costa-rica.html. Accessed February 27, 2012. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/03/080307-costa-rica.html 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. http://www.happyplanetindex.org/news/archive/news-2.html. Accessed February 27 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.