XIV International Environment Fair
- More than one hundred public and private institutions will present their environmental initiatives.
Given the urgent need to raise awareness and involve the Costa Rican population in building a country with ecologically sustainable political, economic and cultural systems, environmental sustainability and urban transit, various public and private institutions will come together to hold the XIV Feria del Ambiente (Environment Fair), in which innovative ideas will be discussed to safeguard ecosystems and protect the country's biodiversity.
This year, the event is international in scope, thanks to the actions of several embassies located in Costa Rica to set up strategic partnerships with businesses to develop environmental initiatives in their respective countries.
The event will be held on June 5-7 in the Estadio Nacional and will feature participation by companies that are committed to protecting natural resources, environmentally friendly products, and more.
Over 100 environmental initiatives will be unveiled in this event in the areas of alternative energy, environmentally friendly products, responsible management of waste and natural resources, and more.
Local progress on environmental issues
According to information from the Ecological Blue Flag Program (Programa Bandera Azul Ecológica), the country saved over 2.8 billion colones ($4.96 million US) thanks to proper management of water, paper, electricity and fuel.
Another tangible achievement has been in the national energy grid, with Costa Rica one of the few countries worldwide to use 100% renewable energy.
Although the country has indeed made important progress in its fight to become an emissions-free country, it must be nimbler and committed to protecting natural resources, which are ever more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, especially due to the devastating impact of natural disasters.
The President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, noted that one of his tasks for the bicentennial will be for the country to take up the responsibility of being a world leader in environmental sustainability, as it has been in the past.
“Not only do we have to improve the management of our national parks and the balance between humans and the environment in protected areas, but rather we have the enormous, yet rewarding, task of doing away with the use of fossil fuels in our economy, in order to make way for the use of clean, renewable energy. Decarbonization is the great task of our generation, and Costa Rica must be among the first countries worldwide to achieve it, if not the first”, said Alvarado.
Sustainability is a socio-ecological process that focuses on achieving a balance between species in their natural environment and the many actions taken by humans.
Costa Rica commits to renewable energy generation
Another one of the alternatives embraced by the country is the creation of a clean electricity grid using concerted, coordinated action by every part of society to launch and accelerate this process in an irreversible manner by promoting public transit and the generation of electricity, as well as the use of hydrogen cells and other technologies.
The country has shown that it may be a small country, but it has grand environmental aspirations. Its citizens have developed and established a balance between the economic, ecological, social and political sectors.
“Today, as a society, we continue to throw valuable material into the rivers or bury them in landfills when we could use them to avoid pollution and generate wellness and value”, continued Alvarado.
For COP26 in 2020, as well as for the country's bicentennial, Costa Rica must lead in the Paris climate change agreement, as it is the world laboratory for decarbonization, and is looking ahead to new options in terms of electric and hybrid vehicles and public transportation, reducing emissions and waste management.