Costa Rica to be Carbon-Neutral by 2030
May 29, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Costa Rica
Costa Rica plans to become the first country to go carbon-neutral, joining Norway in a race to nullify its carbon footprint.


According to the Environmental News Network, the tiny Central American country hopes to be carbon free within just 20 years.

As previously reported by Global Cool, Norway recently set a target to be carbon-neutral by 2050, but looks set to lose out to its cross-the-pond rival because, unlike the oil-dependent Scandinavians, the highly-efficient Costa Ricans already generate a colossal 78% of their energy from hydroelectric power and a further 18% geothermal heat and wind power.

Environment Minister Roberto Dobles told Reuters the coffee exporting country would improve the efficiency of its remaining fossil fuel-fired power plants, promote the uptake of hybrid vehicles and increase tree planting to balance its unavoidable emissions.

The Minister went on to add that Costa Rica would also eliminate net emissions of other greenhouse gasses.

In order to complete the final leg of the journey to zero emissions, the Costa Rican government has turned its attention to transport, industry and agriculture.

But Juan Figuerola, forestry coordinator for the Costa Rican Conservation Federation, criticised the government’s plans to incentivise tree-planting and conservation in an effort to offset excessive energy use.

“It’s a deception to allow polluters to continue to pollute with makeup to mask it,” he said.

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