Costa Rica - challenges in the 21st century?

Costa Rica

Before talking about the most challenge of Costa Rica, the most important thing to talk about is the development of Costa Rica.  The growing economies in Latin America would lead the challenges happened. “Over the last twenty-five years, Costa Rica has been one of the more stable and faster growing economies in Latin America primarily due to past economic reforms. Since 1980, growth in per capita income has averaged 1.2 percent, compared to 0.8 percent for Latin America as a whole, and economic volatility in the country has been about 20 percent lower than the rest of the region. Only about 10 percent of the country’s population lives on less than US$2 a day, compared to a poverty rate of about 25 percent region-wide and the literacy rate is at nearly 96 percent for people ages 15 and above, compared to 86 percent in the rest of the region.” According to the website worldbank, the data specifically showed that how fast the economy grows in Costa Rica. However, while the economy in Costa Rica is growing, there will be more and more challenges coming up.

The one I would like to discuss the environmental issue in Costa Rica. In my opinion, the environmental issue in Costa Rica is the most basic and most important challenges in 21th century. Obviously, environmental issue is a challenges in every developing country.  It’s always a cycle, the economy develops positively that the environment would go negatively. If you want to help or protect the environment, the first thing to do is slowing down economic development and take care the environment. However, it’s really hard for a developing country.

I think the tourism is the main element to lead the environmental issue but also increasing the economy for the country. According to the tico news, “Costa Rica welcomed some 2.4 million tourists during 2013, an increase of 3.6 percent compared to 2012, the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) reported Thursday.The Central American country logged 2,427,941 international arrivals, according to a report from the state tourism agency. During the last four years of President Laura Chinchilla’s administration, which concludes on May 8, tourism has grown 15.6 percent. The ICT noted that the biggest growth in the number of travelers came from tourists flying to Costa Rica, which was up 4.2 percent. Costa Rica is especially popular with Gringos. Some 39 percent of tourists here are from the United States, while another 12.4 percent come from Europe. The remaining tourists are from other parts of Central America, South America and the rest of the word.” It could show that how strong the tourism is in Costa Rica.

Negative impact of environment from tourism would much greater than others. Tourism is an uncontrolled element that would damage many natural areas in the world, including Costa Rica. It can have pressure on an area and lead to impacts such as soil erosion, increased pollution, and lost of the water resources.  Therefore, I think the environmental issue is the most challenge in 21th century in Costa Rica.

Reference:

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/0,,contentMDK:21154669~pagePK:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:258554,00.html

http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/01/17/tourists-flocked-to-costa-rica-in-record-numbers-in-2013