Clean energy in Central America

I was surprised on my last airplane flight's approach to Liberia, Costa Rica, to see a wind farm on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, a little north of Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, almost all of the electricity comes from hydro power.

I think it is wonderful that Nicaragua is generating electricity from wind power.

This gives me an opportunity to share some excellent environmental news from last week. I was surprised to open the daily newspaper at our home in Arizona last week and find an Associated Press story on page A2. News of Costa Rica is not often carried prominently in the USA.

The news is that Costa Rica will receive $56 million of loan forgiveness and grants because of its environmental protection. The assistance is to help Costa Rica achieve the goals of the U.N. Convention on Beiodiversity by 2015. Costa Rica will be the first developing nation to do so.

Costa Rica will increase its world-leading percentage of land set aside for national parks and nature preserves, from 25% to 26% and will triple the amount of ocean area under protection. The U.S. is forgiving $27 million of Costa Rica's foreign debt in exchange for Costa Rica using the funds for conservation. This is a significant amount, as Costa Rica's foreign debt is $77 million.

The $56 million of assistance for Costa Rica includes $20 million of grants from private environmental groups, such as $9 million from the Nature Conservancy. It is gratifying, and appreciated, that environmental groups and other countries, particularly the USA, recognize and support Costa Rica's leadership in achievements in environmental protection.

This week we are showing photos of the red rock scenery of Sedona, Arizona, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.