Nature Air

The 2008 Environmental Performance Index ranked Costa Rica fifth in the world out of 149 measured countries. A recent issue of Newsweek highlights the findings. According to the study, “The top five ranked countries in the 2008 EPI, in order of best performance, are Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Costa Rica. As expected, developed countries with significant financial resources for environmental management make up a large portion of the top performers. But Costa Rica, a middle-income country, outperforms many developed countries as well as its neighbors.”

The two main criteria were reducing environmental stresses to human health, and promoting ecosystem vitality and sound natural resource management. These were further divided into sub-categories and twenty five different indicators, ranging from adequate sanitation to pesticide regulation to per capita greenhouse gas emissions. You are encouraged to explore this report in detail.

So much of the information relating to a country’s management of its environment and ecosystems is quite difficult to quantify. We are still developing the green language which will enable us to measure and communicate. The EPI is co-authored by the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the Columbia University Center for International Earth Science Information Network.

It is challenging for developed countries to achieve a balance between the drive for profit and the protection of the environment. Often, developing countries face the opposite challenge of having abundant natural resources without the ability to protect them. Costa Rica finds itself somewhere in between, a unique position in the world.