Costa Rica green lovers slam Arias for ‘double talk’
Costa Rica environmentalists and academics yesterday lambasted the government for what they called continued “double talk” on matters of promoting green practices.
Some 25 organizations in a group statement said they are trying to “call national and international attention to the contradiction that exists in discourse by the Costa Rican authorities and the lack of national policy to mitigate the effects of environmental degradation.
“This deterioration is worsening despite the laudable discourse of President Oscar Arias’ government in favor of nature and the environment,” the statement said.
Costa Rica has won global praise for conservation initiatives such as the Peace with Nature program and setting a goal to make the country carbon neutral by 2021.
Environmentalists, however, are arguing that there are serious threats to Costa Rica’s peace with nature, namely tourism and building on land in the country’s prized reserves and shores, near Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean and the Osa Peninsula in the southern Pacific.
The groups also cited dozens of plans for new marinas along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, some of which could pose a threat to nearby coral reefs, according to the communiqué.
Shark-finning is still a problem, the statement said, as the country has been slow to enforce prohibition particularly at private ports.
You may be interested

Costa Rica
16399 views
Costa Rica
16399 views
Costa Rica will receive Covax vaccines in May
Alejandro Zúñiga - March 3, 2021Costa Rica received 109,980 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Tuesday night, the single-largest shipment delivered to the country, the Presidency…

Latin America
1977 views
Latin America
1977 views
Panama’s economy registers historic decline due to pandemic
AFP - March 2, 2021The economy of Panama, one of the largest in Central America, suffered a historic contraction of 17.9% in 2020 compared…

Costa Rica
1578 views
Costa Rica
1578 views
IMF loan ‘ultimately benefits all Costa Ricans,’ Alvarado says in interview
The Tico Times - March 2, 2021The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday approved a three-year, $1.78 billion loan to help stabilize Costa Rica's economy. Read: IMF…