Save the Forests

Over the last thirty years, Costa Rica has undergone an incredible transformation. They doubled their rainforest cover and transitioned to 100% renewable electricity -  all at the same time as doubling their population and tripling the size of their economy. This feat remains an unparalleled example of environmental leadership on the international stage.

This week, we spoke to Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, who was Environment and Energy Minister for Costa Rica for three terms during that period. We dived into how precisely the country managed to achieve what it did, whether those techniques could be replicated to reverse deforestation worldwide, and what obstacles remain to the same environmental leadership being shown in other countries. As always, we finish by looking at what you at home can do to help accelerate this change.

NOTES
Here's The Plan is presented by James Miller and Bella Lack. It is produced by Airaphon. 

Paper on Costa Rica's forest transition

WHAT YOU CAN DO

1. Support organisations that are helping to protect forests around the world. There are so many fantastic NGOs campaigning for governments to create new protected areas, standing up to defend indigenous territories, or directly purchasing land to prevent deforestation. Our personal favourite is Reserva: The Youth Land Trust - an youth-led organisation creating protected areas all across the world.

2. Help cut deforestation out of supply chains. Work within the communities and institutions you are a part of to examine your supply chains and ensure that you are obtaining materials sustainably. Every time another actor improves their supply chain, it creates ripples through all the other links to accelerate system-wide change! 


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AND IF YOU REALLY LOVE IT
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