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“We're running the most dangerous experiment in history right now, which is to see how much carbon dioxide the atmosphere... can handle before there is an environmental catastrophe,” said Elon Musk. I have been having my carbon footprint calculated for 3 years in a row now. Three years ago I joined this project and I am proud to say that I have been able to reduce my footprint and overall my parents too. We have changed, we are now a family with true worries about climate change and how high carbon emissions are nowadays.
This year in particular my carbon footprint has been incredibly low but well, the answer is the global pandemic. This pandemic has paralyzed the world for quite some time and even though it helped the environment at first, now we are experiencing the reactivation of the world and there’s being an incredible amount of masks that are now ending up in the oceans. Nonetheless, I’m going to focus on why my carbon footprint is now lower. The main factor is that now I have virtual classes, so all those hours in traffic that I had last year are now null. Plus, now we recycle and have several bins for plastic, paper, glass, and aluminum. Additionally, I help my grandfather with his new compost bin, and a new garden. We also now buy organic products and fruits that are cultivated directly by an agriculturist.
I am really proud of all these achievements my family and I have done. Furthermore, it contributes to Costa Rica’s plan to mitigate carbon emissions. In Costa Rica, we are aiming to go carbon neutral by 2021. The Program for Carbon Neutrality made official with Executive Decree No. 41122, is an initiative of the Costa Rican government through the Directorate of Climate Change of the Ministry of Environment and Energy that provides a mechanism for recognition of the proper management of greenhouse gas emissions. This Program shares a longer-term vision based on the progress that will be achieved in three different milestones of Costa Rica's Nationally Determined Contribution: one by 2030; another to 2050; and, finally, another to 2100. This outstanding program began in 2012 with only 2 participating organizations, and it has been exponentially strengthened in recent years, to reach 96 organizations today. Furthermore, one of this project’s news assets is that it opens the possibility for municipalities and district councils to align themselves with efforts towards carbon neutrality so more people can take action in a more specific place, in other words, with the full concentration of a group of people for a specific delimitated area. And the government is encouraging us to form part of this carbon neutrality project because at the end of the day it will only be accomplished if we all work together. We all need to take action and help those that are not aware of the project or those that don't know how to contribute.
Right now in Costa Rica, especially during these challenging times of COVID-19, there is a huge gap between the high and lower classes. There is a power imbalance. I am able to reduce my carbon footprint because I have a high-quality education. They teach me about climate change and how to take action. They encourage me to be a part of the project, like the one I’m now involved with my friends called Lora Verde (you can find it @loraverde on Instagram or Facebook). However, right now the public education here is paralyzed. They are not learning, they are not being aware and the government has been tainted by hypocrisy.
They are not acting according to what they said at the beginning. There’s a lack of interest and there are new proposals like the bottom trawling fishing (that was approved) that contradict the president. He was open and clear about his positions about the climate and the environment; however, now it seems like all those statements were left in the past like they are just a memory now. That’s why we need to take action, make our voices be heard, don’t our own actions and keep the head held high to face the upcoming challenges. As Greta Thunberg states, “The climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change”.
