Comments on: The world’s greenest country? http://maydayblog.com/2007/11/16/the-worlds-greenest-country/ brendan may on the choices facing our planet Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:25:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Diane J. http://maydayblog.com/2007/11/16/the-worlds-greenest-country/#comment-10 Diane J. Fri, 23 Nov 2007 18:07:22 +0000 http://maydayblog.com/2007/11/16/the-worlds-greenest-country/#comment-10 As a 20-year resident of the #10 ranked country, I tend to agree that making the list may have as much to do with promoting yourself as an eco-friendly country as actually taking concrete actions. In a recent rather daring move, the Costa Rican government announced it will become a carbon neutral nation, by offsetting all the country’s carbon dioxide emissions, via laws and incentives, such as measures to promote biofuels (danger there, as promoting biofuels can mean more sugar and oil-palm plantations!), clean energy and hybrid vehicles (since we paid US$12,000 for a 15-year old Toyota I shudder to think what the cost of a hybrid vehicle would be...cars here are frightfully expensive), and clean energy (but since nearly all energy here is hydro and geothermal, that’s not very intrepid). The country plans to levy a voluntary “tax” on businesses and tourists, to offset their carbon emissions, and the funds collected would be used to fund reforestation and conservation projects. Costa Rica also plans to enter the carbon market. Will any of this happen? I have my doubts, but I'm the cynical sort. Meanwhile, the country is doing quite well at promoting its good intentions to much acclaim. As a 20-year resident of the #10 ranked country, I tend to agree that making the list may have as much to do with promoting yourself as an eco-friendly country as actually taking concrete actions.

In a recent rather daring move, the Costa Rican government announced it will become a carbon neutral nation, by offsetting all the country’s carbon dioxide emissions, via laws and incentives, such as measures to promote biofuels (danger there, as promoting biofuels can mean more sugar and oil-palm plantations!), clean energy and hybrid vehicles (since we paid US$12,000 for a 15-year old Toyota I shudder to think what the cost of a hybrid vehicle would be…cars here are frightfully expensive), and clean energy (but since nearly all energy here is hydro and geothermal, that’s not very intrepid).

The country plans to levy a voluntary “tax” on businesses and tourists, to offset their carbon emissions, and the funds collected would be used to fund reforestation and conservation projects. Costa Rica also plans to enter the carbon market. Will any of this happen? I have my doubts, but I’m the cynical sort. Meanwhile, the country is doing quite well at promoting its good intentions to much acclaim.

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