Lack of funding threatens the "tica" carbon neutrality

Direction of Climate Change has just four officials

December 07th,2014

Lima, Peru. The strategy of carbon neutrality is compromised because the country is still not binding, but depends on the goodwill.

This was announced by an audit report prepared by the Comptroller General of the Republic, dated November. We need to formalize the carbon neutrality strategy to be binding to public institutions and sectors is emphasized.

"Product development and interdisciplinary activities, because the actions contained in that instrument require the participation of various executing agencies for the same product is needed," said Comptroller.

With a commitment assumed in 2007, Costa Rica was ahead of other countries in seeking to achieve carbon neutrality by 2021 and thus celebrate the bicentennial of its independence. In September, President Luis Guillermo Solis ratified in New York this goal.

However, the strategy and action plan ails another evil: lack of funding to precisely orchestrate the development to which the country aspires.

Told by the Comptroller, you know the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minae).

"Let's say the carbon neutrality Costa Rica builds on the 2005; that means 2020 will not add one ton of carbon. That we are working. We are conducting a comprehensive review with hard data and simulations of the target to see if there is indeed a real feasibility of achieving it and if not, then generate a proposal supported by scientific information, "said Environment Minister Edgar Gutierrez.

For Secretary of Environmental Presidential Council and the Sectoral Council of Environment, Maria Virginia Cajiao, carbon neutrality and climate change are "posing as integrated management of land, which includes adaptation and mitigation."

In fact, according to Maria Virginia Cajiao, the National Development Plan 20152018 commitment to low-carbon growth as a strategy of resilience (resilience to adversity) to the impacts of climate change.

The truth is that the date of fulfillment of the goal of carbon neutrality is getting closer and in the short term, the Comptroller's Office has imposed a date to formalize the instrument and thus make it binding: May 2015.

Priority. In 2009, the Department of Climate Change (DCC) of the Ministry of Environment (Minae) developed the National Strategy for Climate Change Action Plan which prioritizes the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions (which cause global warming global) in the energy and transportation.

According to the V National GHG Inventory (IMN) National Meteorological Institute, the country issued 8.78 million tons of carbon equivalent (includes all GHGs) in 2010. Transportation was the largest emitter with 4.67 million tons.

In adaptation, the plan focuses its actions on water resources and agriculture for being so sensitive to climate variability.

"The carbon neutrality depends on the ability of DCC to convince because the goal is not binding and touches us convince with four people," said Wílliam Alpizar, director of this dependence Minae.

He added: "We need people and resources. Nor may only resources of cooperation, because that is not sustainable. They have to be resources that come from the national budget. "

Although his work should be orchestrating the other institutions and sectors, DCC operates four when, according to his manager, a staff of at least 15 is required.

This lack of resources is evident when the Comptroller of the Republic states that lack mechanisms for monitoring and measuring.

"The instrument used for such monitoring is an array that does not allow reasonably estimate the degree of progress in achieving the products listed in the Action Plan therefore only displayed if an activity is in progress or completed, without that compliance deadlines, rates of progress, or another important for defining the fulfillment of the goals indicated therein information display, "says the report.

Read more: "La Nación"