Climate Change

Costa Rica – A Small Country With A Big Vision

I am sitting on a veranda on the slopes of Rincon de La Vieja Volcano in Costa Rica, about 45 miles south of the border with Nicaragua. We are in the midst of a protected conservation area administered by the government of Costa Rica.  One-fourth of the land mass of the country is within protected areas, forest reserves and national parks.  With 0.3 percent of the earth’s landmass but 10 percent of the known species of animals and plants, Costa Rica has made protecting biodiversity a priority.  “Ecotourism” is a major driver of the Costa Rican economy, and the forests provide the principal mechanism for assuring water supplies for a growing population.  The forest cover of Costa Rica decreased from 75 percent in 1940 to 21 percent in 1987.  The government’s decision to enhance forest cover to protect biodiversity, watershed and scenic values has resulted in an increase of forest cover to more than 50 percent today.  This is a remarkable achievement.

EPA Releases Proposed Carbon Sequestration Regulations

On July 15, EPA Administrator Steven Johnson signed a proposed rulemaking package, which would regulate geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide under the Underground Injection Control (“UIC”) Program of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The proposed rules would create a new category of UIC well (Class VI) designed specifically for injection of CO2 into geologic formations.