Few countries are as forward thinking and ambitious when it comes to environmentalism as Costa Rica. The small Central American nation is not only aiming for total decarbonization by 2050, but has done incredible work in re-growing large areas of tropical rainforest that had been deforested in the 1970s and 80s and promoting and implementing innovative ecotourism practices. Despite its small size, Costa Rica plays a major role in international environmental politics and has been at the forefront of international agreements like the Paris Climate Accord. Now, Costa Rica has turned its attention to another major issue facing our planet: biodiversity loss.
Costa Rica hopes to secure an international agreement on biodiversity conservation. Although over 50 countries committed of the protection of 30% of the planet’s oceans and land during the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People in January, the coalition—spearheaded by Costa Rica and co-chaired by France and the United Kingdom—is hoping to accomplish more. Later this year, negotiations will take place in Kunming, China, for an international agreement that would seek to halt biodiversity loss.
There is no doubt that the plan is an ambitious one, but Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado remains hopeful. “Our approach is to lead by example. As Mandela said, ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done’,” he said in an interview with the Guardian. “Conservation is one of the key factors that scientists point out as relevant for protecting biodiversity and also for addressing the climate crisis. But working alone, it’s not as effective,” he added.
Alvarado explained that the climate crisis is already causing significant problems in the region that impact areas like the economy and migration patterns. “More and more, the real impacts of the climate crisis on our societies is evident. Just in this past 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 the potential in terms of unemployment, the migrations that it could produce mean you cannot only see the storms in isolation as hurricanes,” he said, adding that climate change and more frequent hurricanes also have an effect on economic growth, jobs, inequality, and women.
The Costa Rican president hopes that, despite the difficulties, the pandemic will result in global action and cooperation on the environmental front. He is especially hopeful after the election of Joe Biden, with whom he spoke recently. “We have lots of things in common. We talked about working together in addressing the climate crisis,” he said. “I think the message of appointing Senator [John] Kerry as ambassador in this area is very strong. It’s going to be a key priority,” he added.
The negotiations will cover difficult topics like the sustainable use of nature, which includes difficult decisions on things like chemical use, resource extraction, and agriculture. But despite the roadblocks, Costa Rica and its larger partners will continue to push for bold action on climate change and biodiversity conservation. “It’s in our DNA,” Alvarado concluded.