Costa Rica - Incorporating SLCPs in national policies and processes

To date, this project has helped Costa Rica:

• Develop a black carbon emissions inventory and analysis of the emissions reduction potential of a variety of key emitting sectors
• Develop the Climate Change Directorate's planning process on SLCPs
• Coordinate stakeholders involved in the climate, air quality and sectoral planning processes 
• Develop a strategy for further integrating greenhouse gas, SLCP and air pollution mitigation in policies

In 2020, Costa Rica submitted its updated NDC which included short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) and a target to reduce black carbon by 20 per cent by 2030 from passenger transport, freight, and industry. The NDC also commits to an emissions ceiling of 106.53 Mt of CO2 equivalent (CO2-eq) between now and 2030, which will be accomplished through methane mitigation measures in the agriculture and waste sectors.

Costa Rica is increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, from flooding, to desertification and biodiversity loss. At the same time, air pollution in urban areas such as the capital city of San José continues to exceed guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), posing a serious health threat to a population of over 5 million people. These harmful emissions of air pollutants and short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) such as black carbon are derived primarily from sectors such as transportation, industry, and waste.

Costa Rica has contributed minimally to the global carbon emissions creating the climate crisis, which means spurring action requires considering the variety of co-benefits associated with emissions reductions.