Page 37 - Supplemento 2-2016 (ENG)

Tackling Environmental Crime throUgh standardized Methodologies

emission we cause, we will reduce it or compensate it, therefore bringing the
equation down to zero. We are not saying we will not emit: we are saying that
every emission will be reduced via energy efficiency, better transportation, cleaner
sources of energy, or it will be compensated through forest recovery, tree plan-
ting, forest fire management. Consequently, Costa Rica can become carbon-neu-
tral and reach zero emissions per capita by 2021. How are we going to manage
that? I will provide practical examples of how we are working towards our target.

For example, the largest rice producer in Costa Rica is already selling car-
bon-neutral rice thanks to better water management, which brings down the
use of fertilisers, which in turn reduce costs; and, most importantly, this com-
pany uses the rice skin and rice waste to produce its own electricity, for the
manufacturing process and for the local community. Another example is that,
since at night we produce more clean electricity than what we use, like a few
other countries, we have decided to storage it. Hydrogen can be stored and then
be used the same way you use natural gas or liquefied natural gas; only it is clea-
ner and the surplus produced at night from hydroelectricity, from geothermal,
from wind power or from bioenergy, can then be used or sold. We deem this
as a good business for Costa Rica and a potential for increasing jobs.

A further example is that, during the previous COP, we negotiated with Qatar
and sold them the first CO2-neutral coffee in the world. We produce good coffee
with almost 0 water, very little fertilisers and we use coffee skins for electricity and,
whatever is left, for composts. Costa Rica cannot compete with Brazil or Colombia
in terms of quantity, so we are trying to compete on the quality and, by being CO2-
neutral, we can lower prices. Again, one more good business for the country. One
more example is provided by forests: as in the case of many countries, we were told
that if we burn mountains, we would get a free land title for the sake of building the
country. We followed the advice from the World Bank and other financial institutions
and, as a result of that, we went from 75% of the territory covered by forests to 21%
and then we stopped. We now organise better forest fire control, from 100K hectares
per year to 10 or 20K; we keep illegal logging under control; we organise better sustai-
nable management of natural forests and plantations and we support ecotourism.
Therefore, nowadays rural communities produce more because we have tourists
coming to visit our forests and watch the birds, which is good for the local economy.

35