Image Costa Rica CCAC Partner since 2017 CCAC projects Other activities Resources News Breadcrumb Home Our Partners Costa Rica Costa Rica joined the Coalition in 2017 to promote alternative HFC technologies and standards, reduce black carbon from heavy duty diesel vehicles and engines, and mitigate short-lived climate pollutants from the municipal solid waste sector. The country has worked with the Coalition’s partners on projects in agriculture, waste, and national planning to enhance policies and strategic plans with actions to reduce SLCPs. Costa Rica joined the Coalition in 2017, endorsing the CCAC 2030 Strategy and committing to reducing short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs). The country has worked with the Coalition’s partners on projects in agriculture, waste, and national planning to enhance policies and strategic plans with actions to reduce SLCPs. Since 2011, Costa Rica committed to a long-term transformation towards climate neutrality. Andrea Meza, Costa Rica's Minister of Environment, spoke to the CCAC on how Costa Rica has “shown its commitments to mitigate [short-lived climate pollutants] for decades, and more recently, in the National Decarbonization Plan”. The 2018-2050 National Decarbonization Plan is a multi-sectoral roadmap on how to reach Costa Rica’s net-zero goal by mid-century. The plan includes short-, medium-, and long-term goals for a cleaner transport sector, such as increasing zero-emissions and renewable fuels, for electrifying the energy sector, and for transitioning to low-emission operations in the waste and agriculture sectors. Other sector-specific national strategies will stem from this document. Remote video URL Costa Rica’s 2020 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) update further solidifies the goals communicated in the National Decarbonization Plan. The NDC identifies action areas for sectors in transport, agriculture, energy, waste, and more. For transport, it sets targets to increase the percentage of zero emission vehicles for both the public transport and private fleet. In the agriculture sector, measures aim to operationalize low emission-production and circular economy systems that incorporate adaptation and resilience. As prompted by the 2020 NDC and the National Decarbonisation Plan, the waste sector launched the Action Plan for Integrated Waste Management in 2019. The plan’s main areas for action include reducing waste at the source, waste sorting and collection, and recovery. This Action Plan is also intended to generate other policy products such as the National Composting Plan as well as a strategy to implement best technological practices to reduce methane from organic waste, to be published in 2022. Costa Rica’s 2015-2035 National Strategy for Low Carbon Livestock (ENGBC) provides a roadmap for scaling up sustainable livestock agriculture practices. The Livestock Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) project, launched in 2015, provides the mechanisms to implement the ENGBC, with guides on mitigation practices such as improving pastures to capture carbon and feed to reduce methane from enteric fermentation. The project has successfully completed its pilot phase on 141 farms and resulted in a reduction of 70% of greenhouse gas emissions. The NAMA aims to, by 2030, advance the application of this model to reach 27% of farms in the country. CCAC projects Previous Next Costa Rica - Implement a roadmap to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions Waste Costa Rica - Implement a roadmap to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions Costa Rica - Deliver National SLCP Plan and National Methane Roadmap National policy and planning Costa Rica - Deliver National SLCP Plan and National Methane Roadmap Costa Rica - Accelerating actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane Waste Costa Rica - Accelerating actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane Costa Rica - Incorporating SLCPs in national policies and processes National policy and planning Costa Rica - Incorporating SLCPs in national policies and processes Accelerating action on transport and energy emissions in Central America Heavy-duty vehicles and engines Accelerating action on transport and energy emissions in Central America Regional integrated programme on climate change, air quality, and health for Central America and the Dominican Republic Public health, National policy and planning Regional integrated programme on climate change, air quality, and health for Central America and the Dominican Republic Waste Finance Programme and technical assistance for global south municipalities Finance, Waste Waste Finance Programme and technical assistance for global south municipalities Costa Rica - National planning on short-lived climate pollutants National policy and planning Costa Rica - National planning on short-lived climate pollutants Costa Rica: Enhancing NDC amitions with mitigation in the agriculture sector Agriculture Costa Rica: Enhancing NDC amitions with mitigation in the agriculture sector See all Other activities Cooling Costa Rica ratified the Kigali Amendment in May 2018 of the Montreal Protocol, committing to phase down HFCs. Oil and gas An oil moratorium was originally declared in 2002 but extended in 2018 to 2050 for the suspension of development and exploration activities for oil deposits on Costa Rican territories. Waste The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and the CCAC are working with Costa Rica and various other cities in the global South on a Waste Finance Programme to build the capacity to build and operate sustainable waste management systems while also taking into consideration municipal financial limitations. Transport The Incentives and Promotion for Electrical Transport Law (Law 9518) was passed in 2018 to strengthen the regulations and incentives to increase the use of electric transport in the general public, such as putting in place taxes. Contacts Ministry of Environment and EnergySan José,Costa RicaWebsite Related resources Reports, Case Studies & Assessments 2022 Linea base sobre cambio climático, calidad del aire y salud en la región SICA Awareness Materials 2021 Enhancing Costa Rica’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) ambitions through the livestock sector Awareness Materials 2019 La Verdad de la Ganadería Costarricense Awareness Materials 2019 Estrategia para la Ganadería Baja en Carbono en Costa Rica See all News from Costa Rica Open now! 2023 call for proposals to support national planning and mitigation Call for proposals 14 Nov 2023 Open now! 2023 call for proposals to support national planning and mitigation Waste Management Offers Social and Environmental Benefits in Costa Rica News 29 Aug 2023 Waste Management Offers Social and Environmental Benefits in Costa Rica The Climate and Clean Air Coalition Launches Four New Projects to Combat Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Project update 06 Dec 2021 The Climate and Clean Air Coalition Launches Four New Projects to Combat Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Sustainability Leader Costa Rica Makes Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Key to Decarbonization Project update 04 Nov 2021 Sustainability Leader Costa Rica Makes Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Key to Decarbonization See all
Costa Rica - Implement a roadmap to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions Waste Costa Rica - Implement a roadmap to improve organic waste management and reduce methane emissions
Costa Rica - Deliver National SLCP Plan and National Methane Roadmap National policy and planning Costa Rica - Deliver National SLCP Plan and National Methane Roadmap
Costa Rica - Accelerating actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane Waste Costa Rica - Accelerating actions to improve organic waste management and reduce methane
Costa Rica - Incorporating SLCPs in national policies and processes National policy and planning Costa Rica - Incorporating SLCPs in national policies and processes
Accelerating action on transport and energy emissions in Central America Heavy-duty vehicles and engines Accelerating action on transport and energy emissions in Central America
Regional integrated programme on climate change, air quality, and health for Central America and the Dominican Republic Public health, National policy and planning Regional integrated programme on climate change, air quality, and health for Central America and the Dominican Republic
Waste Finance Programme and technical assistance for global south municipalities Finance, Waste Waste Finance Programme and technical assistance for global south municipalities
Costa Rica - National planning on short-lived climate pollutants National policy and planning Costa Rica - National planning on short-lived climate pollutants
Costa Rica: Enhancing NDC amitions with mitigation in the agriculture sector Agriculture Costa Rica: Enhancing NDC amitions with mitigation in the agriculture sector
Reports, Case Studies & Assessments 2022 Linea base sobre cambio climático, calidad del aire y salud en la región SICA
Awareness Materials 2021 Enhancing Costa Rica’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) ambitions through the livestock sector
Open now! 2023 call for proposals to support national planning and mitigation Call for proposals 14 Nov 2023 Open now! 2023 call for proposals to support national planning and mitigation
Waste Management Offers Social and Environmental Benefits in Costa Rica News 29 Aug 2023 Waste Management Offers Social and Environmental Benefits in Costa Rica
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition Launches Four New Projects to Combat Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Project update 06 Dec 2021 The Climate and Clean Air Coalition Launches Four New Projects to Combat Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
Sustainability Leader Costa Rica Makes Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Key to Decarbonization Project update 04 Nov 2021 Sustainability Leader Costa Rica Makes Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Key to Decarbonization