ANT 101
10 / 14 / 2021


Implementation of SDG7 in Costa Rica
In 2016, the United Nations issued a set of goals. These 17 goals were focused on the implementation of equality and sustainability in all aspects of economies and cultures globally. The 7th goal is to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. This essentially means providing energy to all of the citizens affordably while also implementing renewable sources to combat the current trajectory of climate change. Without this goal many would be left without access to energy (over 700 million people globally) and there would be little to no hope of overcoming the disasters of climate change. The production of energy provides jobs, security, transportation, access to food, and many other important benefits to economies, locally and globally. The importance of SDG7 is paramount in the sustainability of economies as well as mother nature itself.
Costa Rica, a Central American nation defined by the beauty of its nature and high percentages of urban population. Slightly smaller than West Virginia, yet with 2.8 times the population (CIA 2021). Despite being less than 1% of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean (Worldometer) it is the oldest democracy in the region and the country ranks 11th in GDP in Latin America and the Caribbean (International Monetary Fund 2021). Costa Rica ranks number one in overall happiness in the region and number 16 globally. The happiness and wellbeing of the citizens of the country is clearly of great importance to the government. The urban population is around 80% (World Bank 2018) which makes it easier to provide energy to the people as the majority of them are concentrated in cities. The climate is mainly hot and humid tropical subtropical areas with cooler temperatures in the highlands. The many rivers of Costa Rica are very influential in providing both potable water as well as the majority of the energy to the country due to the large investment into hydropower. In 2018 Carlos Alvarado Quesada was elected president of the nation and with this came promises of a bright future. Quesada, being of a center-left political party, seeked to pass liberal reforms that looked to the future and that coincided well with the sustainable development goals established by the United Nations. SDG’s also go hand in hand with the Costa Rican motto, ‘Pura Vida’, “Pure Life” in english, as the goal of the SDG’s could be boiled down to the pursuit of a pure life.
As there is a natural change to climate over time it has been accelerated greatly since the industrial revolution due to the reliance on fossil fuels and the harmful gasses they emit into the atmosphere, warming up the globe. The global conversation of climate change and the effects of humans on climate has been dominated by those in physical science fields that look at more of an ecological effect of this changing climate. There also lies importance in the social sciences and how these changes to the environment will change human societies. Anthropology has a place in the discussion of the importance of SDG7, specifically environmental anthropology. The study of humans and their relationship with nature throughout time is important in this exploration to see how us humans will be affected and not just the environment. In the Himalayas, which provide the main water source for nearly 1 billion people, the ice is melting at a drastic rate; and if no action is taken the lives of all those relying on that water could change forever (India Today 2021). Viewing these societies from an anthropological perspective and humanizing the looming disaster could be what may sway many of the people still hesitant about making major changes to their day-to-day lives or in the legislature. “The critical anthropology of climate change is guided by an eco-social perspective and by political ecology theory with its understanding of the politicized nature of human interaction with the environment,” (Baer 2015). Baer noticed the politicization of climate and recognized the importance of anthropological study, not only of how climate change will affect people but how societies are reacting to the issue. The majority of societies have a heavy reliance on fossil fuels and that reliance is only increasing by the day. The investments to completely change the way societies work is deemed unimportant by some people. The inclusion of anthropology in the discussion is perhaps a driving force that can be used to show the real changes of climate change, not just on ecosystems, but societies as well.
In 2018 president Quesada announced the bold Costa Rican ambition to reach net 0 carbon emissions by the year 2050. The government seeks to build an electric train connecting the country to combat the emissions in the transportation sector, in combination with transitioning to electric personal motor vehicles (UNFCCC 2018). The overall energy grid of Costa Rica is already 98% renewable with a combination of hydro, wind, and solar power and they plan on making this number 100% consistently. Outside of the transportation sector they are also exploring ways to minimize harmful gas output in the industry, waste, and agricultural sectors. In the transportation sector they plan on 30% of the transport fleet to be zero-emission and to have the electric train up and running on 100% electricity by 2035 (UNFCCC 2018). Costa Rica plans on completing the first phase of decarbonization by 2022 which consists mainly of planning and logistics of how to carry out the plan fully into the future. The year 2035 is a benchmark year where there is hope to be done with around half of the decarbonization and with specific goals for each sector set in 2035, and finally 2050 is the final goal year with hopes of the goals to be fully realized by that point.
Costa Rica not only supports the global implementation of the goals of SDG7 but seeks to be a pioneer for others to look up to when looking at decarbonization. Most countries in the world struggle to decarbonize due to their energy sector's heavy reliance on fossil fuels while Costa Rica is far ahead having little to no reliance on fossil fuels in the energy sector. The accomplishment of providing universal access to energy, the announcement of the Decarbonization plan, and continued efforts to be a spearhead in the implementation of SDG7 all show the dedication of the Costa Rican government to sustainability. While already being far ahead of the majority of the LAC region in renewables they chose not to stop there and continue the push to combat carbonization on a full scale. Costa Rica does not just offer empty promises but is putting the plan they have into action and begun making the initial steps towards the daunting task. The LAC region as a whole is approaching universal access to energy and the development of hydro power specifically is dominant in the region. Although there is progress being made in the region as a whole there is much less importance placed on this SDG outside of Costa Rica. With there being 17 SDGs and LAC being a region that is still developing and has a lot of issues to fix in terms of sustainability, most countries have to pick and choose which goals to prioritize. Due to this fact many LAC countries have placed much less priority on SDG7. Costa Rica giving so much attention to this SDG sets an example not only for the rest of the region but the rest of the world as well. Costa Rica’s President Alvarado Quesada is quite progressive and urges for the equality and fair treatment of all people and supports the SDGs fully. He has even supported the implementation of all SDGs at UN conferences. Quesada specifically pushes for a green economy with focus on sustainability for the future and urges other countries specifically in LAC to do the same. Costa Rica has set a milestone being the only