Even though Costa Rica’s carbon footprint is tiny compared to other countries, the first lady of Costa Rica Claudia Dobles has a higher goal in mind: getting rid of fossil fuels altogether. When it comes to being green, Costa Rica already leads the pack. Electricity comes largely from renewable sources already — chiefly hydropower, but also wind, solar and geothermal energy. The country has doubled its forest cover in the last 30 years, after decades of deforestation, so that half of its land surface is now covered with trees, which provides a huge carbon sink. Also, climate change is not a divisive political issue.

With that said, transportation is still reliant on fossil fuels and is the single largest source of Costa Rica’s greenhouse gas emissions. To decarbonize the transportation industry, Ms. Dobles has helped develop a plan that envisions electric passenger and freight trains in service by 2022.  Under the plan, nearly a third of all buses would be electric by 2035, dozens of charging stations would be built, and nearly all cars and buses on the roads would be electric by 2050.

Implementing this ambitious plan won’t be a simple task by any means, but Costa Rica hopes that by doing it, they can show the world that a small country can be a leader on a major problem and improve the health and well-being of its citizens in the bargain.