Wouldn’t it be great if there was an Emmy-like award that would recognize excellence and achievements in fighting climate change? Well, there actually is one and Costa Rica is this year’s well-deserved winner.
The Central American country received the 2019 Champions of the Earth award, the UN’s highest environmental honor, for its role in the protection of nature and its commitment to ambitious policies to combat climate change.
It should come as no surprise that the United Nations Environment Program chose Costa Rica as this year’s champion. The country’s energy sector is already more than 95 percent renewable. In 2017, the country made headlines for running a record 300 days solely on renewable power and the goal to achieve 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030.
What’s more, thanks to an aggressive push to reverse decades of deforestation, more than 50 percent of the trees have been restored. Those trees are a key element of Costa Rica’s plan to soak up any lingering carbon emissions. Also, 70 percent of the country’s public transport is expected to become electric, with full electrification projected for 2050.
Even though the country of five million people only produces about 0.4 percent of the world’s global emissions, its commendable environmental achievements could provide a template for other nations of the world.
