Costa Rica, is small yet bold. We have historically been a leader, a first mover, and have thrived by taking steps others deemed impossible. We were the first country in the world to abolish our army in 1948, have established free public healthcare and education, and invested in our national parks in order to protect our biodiversity. In 2017, Costa Rica achieved another first – and set a world record – for the most consecutive days of running the national electricity grid with only renewable energy: 300 days in a row. And this little country is aiming to go even further than that. Decarbonisation is the great task facing our generation, and we want to be the first country in the world to achieve it. We have launched an economy-wide plan to decarbonise our country in line with the Paris agreement on climate change and the objectives of the UN’s Sustainable Development Agenda. Our nation has a history of thinking long-term and those decisions have paid off. Costa Rica rejected cheap coal in the 1970s and instead turned to hydropower, which to this day supplies much of our clean energy and allows us to power our country emissions-free for long stretches. As the price of wind and solar technologies fall globally, we’re investing more in these forms of energy to keep our grid clean and reliable.
FT 17th March 2019 read more »
