Costa Rica aiming for permanent ban on fossil fuel exploration

SAN JOSE • Costa Rican lawmakers will discuss a Bill to permanently ban fossil fuel exploration and extraction, a move that would prevent future governments from pivoting on the issue as the popular eco-tourism destination country aims to decarbonise by 2050.

Costa Rica started efforts to ban fossil fuel exploration in 2002 under president Abel Pacheco. This ban was supposed to expire in 2014 but later extended until 2050. The new Bill, backed by the administration of President Carlos Alvarado, would go further by permanently banning it.

"Our concern now is to remove the temptation, either today or at any time tomorrow, for there to be any current or future government who might think that returning to fossil fuels of the past century is actually a good idea for our country," said former Costa Rican government official Christiana Figueres, who advocated for the Bill.

Only a few other countries have taken action to ban fossil fuel exploration and production, including France which aims to do so by 2040, and Belize, which prohibits exploration and drilling in all its territorial waters.

Costa Rica's rich biodiversity draws international tourists to its jungles and coastal eco-resorts, and it is considered a global model on climate change initiatives.

It has never explored or extracted fossil fuels and gets 99 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources, mainly hydropower, according to officials.

A permanent ban would send a powerful message to the world, lawmaker Paola Vega said.

The Bill for a permanent fossil fuel ban has faced opposition by some politicians who argue that the resources could help the Central American country bounce back from an 8.7 per cent dip in gross domestic product last year during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ms Figueres, one of the architects of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, said fossil fuel extraction for economic recovery "makes absolutely no sense", as Costa Rica's reserves have not been proven commercially viable.

Lawmakers will hold discussions on the Bill this week, though a vote may not come before October.

REUTERS