Long committed to the environment, Costa Rica has often been praised for its successful efforts in sustainability, biodiversity, and other protections. More recently, the nation has made headlines by pledging to go entirely fossil-free by 2050.
In an interview with The New York Times, the country’s first lady, urban planner Claudia Dobles, said that achieving that goal would combat a “sense of negativity and chaos” in the face of global warming”, and that “we need to start providing answers”. Although the goal seems like a big one, the tiny country, lush with rainforests, has already made achieved some impressive milestones.
Notably, after decades of deforestation, Costa Rica has doubled its tree cover in the last 30 years. Now, thanks to smart and environment-conscious policymaking, half of the country’s land surface are covered with trees. That forest cover is able to absorb a huge amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making a serious contribution in our fight against climate change.
