Small countries can 'pack a punch'

Nobel laureate says they can make a difference in green war by fighting together
Shobana Kesava, Straits Times 4 Dec 08;

SMALL developing countries can pack a punch in the war against climate change, if they deliver it together, an approach Nobel laureate and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez hopes they will take.

The world must work with nature to combat global warming or face worse disasters than any war between men, said Dr Arias, in an address on the Costa Rican Peace With Nature Initiative at the Institute of Policy Studies Nobel Laureate Lecture yesterday.

The Central American country has committed to carbon neutrality by 2021. If it succeeds, it will be the first to achieve the goal of emitting no more greenhouse gases than it absorbs.

Other nations such as New Zealand, Norway and Monaco have followed suit, with similar green goals set to be achieved by 2050.

'We are the only developing country to have such a goal,' said Dr Arias, 68, who first led the country from 1986 to 1990.

A few years ago, Costa Rica was stripping its land of natural resources like timber and gold for revenue but changed course after Dr Arias was re-elected in 2006.

Its focus is now on maintaining its vast tropical forest. Just over half of the country's land - 26,000 sq km - is covered by forest.

He urged developing countries not to think small.

'I don't think it is fair to give excuses and wait for the United States to set the agenda. We need to fight climate change because we are responsible, not only for our country but also for the world,' he said.

Costa Rica would be happy to lead in this field. The developing nation of 4.4 million people with a per capita GDP of US$10,000 (S$15,200) has been ranked by Yale University as fifth in the world in environmental performance. Last year, The Economist ranked it the most democratic country in Latin America.

'We do it and ask other countries to follow our path. We can be a paradigm for other countries in the developing world, and band with other countries to move this,' he said.

Costa Rica pipped all countries in its greening effort last year, planting seven million trees to help in reforestation.

'The world spent well over a trillion dollars on weapons and soldiers when so much of it could have gone towards education and health care,' he said.

Costa Rica abolished its own army 60 years ago in its commitment to peace. Dr Arias' presidency in the 1980s led to the end of civil strife in Central America, when he brokered a five-country peace agreement. For this he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987.

Yesterday, he spoke to a 300-strong international audience, including members of the business community, civil society, government and academia.

Costa Rica's record is impressive, said Nature Society of Singapore president Shawn Lum.

'Within a decade, Costa Rica has completely turned around from destroying its forests to having a very vocal voice in protecting it, which makes me confident other small countries can make a stand too,' he said.