Why don"t we all become Costa Rica?- http://clapway.com/2015/06/22/reasons-why-costa-ricas-green-model-is-a-tough-export/

Costa Rica sets the Record

In April, Costa Rica was record-breaking in relying on renewable energy for 75 days, since the start of 2015. However, the country might be groundbreaking for its environmentalist agenda, but its “model” of success is not easy to apply elsewhere.

This spring, Costa Rica’s state owned electricity company announced that the country based its consumption solely on renewable resources for 75 days. It is the first world country to run without relying on fossil fuels for this long. This achievement made the headlines all around the world, and made people wonder…

Why can’t the Costa Rican model be applied elsewhere if it proved so successful?

The country’s inhabitants have benefited from the use of renewable sources, especially as electricity prices lowered. However, it is hard for the production of fossil fuel-free electricity to continue on this scale and for this model to be easily exported to other countries.

The strong commitment required of a country

The reason why Costa Rica managed to break this world record in clean energy production was due to two main factors: the extremely heavy rainfalls at the start of the year, which gave power to hydroelectric plants, and the abundance of natural resources which have for long assured high rates of green energy production within the country. This has always favoured Costa Rica in the environmental conversation, leading its government to announce a strong commitment to a green agenda, with the goal of carbon neutrality by 2021.

However, the downside of generating electricity through hydroelectric plants, is that it requires large amounts of rainfall. Not long ago the country had suffered one of its biggest droughts, forcing the burning of fuels to generate power. This means that this form of production is not always reliable, especially due to the constant, negative effects of climate change.

More emissions than just energy productions

Also, energy production through burning fuels is not the only cause of greenhouse emissions in today’s world. Even if Costa Rica fully relied on renewable resources for energy production, it would still need to address the issue of carbon emissions by buses, trains and cars which accounted to almost 70% in 2014. So far the presence of hybrid cars present which take advantage of “green” power is limited.

Costa Rica is inhabited by merely 5 million people, is rich with natural elements which favour the production of renewable energy and has no major industry to rely on. This means that overall it relies on significantly less energy production, therefore making it easier to stick to an environmental agenda.

Nevertheless, both the problems Costa Rica faces due to the hydroelectric power production and the carbon emissions while being one of the world’s most dedicated countries in solving environmental issues, shows how hard it would be for other nations to adopt its model.

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Because we love nature and not all of us live in Costa Rica, Atmoph is perfect:

Reasons Why Costa Rica’s Green Model is a Tough Export

Pacific Ocean"s Monster Net -- The War on Trash in Hawaii - http://clapway.com/2015/06/08/pacific-oceans-monster-net-the-war-on-trash-in-hawaii-123/

Oil isn’t the only thing contaminating the ocean these days. Recently a net weighing in at 11.5 tons was dragged out of the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii proving that the War Against Trash is more crucial than previously thought.

The Pacific Ocean’s Monster Net

This “monster net” was first spotted in the Pacific Ocean 2013 and was just considered a legend among those working for Hawaii’s Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. This first sighting occurred with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on a coral reef in the outskirts of Hawaii’s Pearl and Hermes Atoll.

“Parts of it were snagged on the sea floor. A giant tree twisted in its mass, and a green sea turtle, a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, was injured and snared in its folds,” reported National Geographic.

The Dangers of the Net

The divers, alone, were not capable of removing this mass. So, they returned to land and a few days later went out with a research team to further assess the damage done by this monster net. During those three days, the net killed three coral reef sharks, making this a more deadly scenario than previously thought.

The research team attached a GPS tracker to the net, and then they retreated to land to organize an excavation of this monster net. Things did not go as planned, because within a few weeks’ time, the net shed the GPS tracker and evaded surveillance of ocean cleanup teams; thus, the net was viewed as a legend among those who worked in ocean cleanup.

Although the net eluded capture for quite some time, that didn’t slow down researchers and activists, adamant about cleaning up the ocean and raging a “War on Trash” in Hawaii’s water and reefs.

In September, 17 NOAA members embarked on a 33 day cleanup in the Pacific Ocean around Hawaii’s coral reefs. Although their sole mission was not the “monster net”, they kept their eyes peeled for anything that might lead them to finding the infamous danger.

Trash For Days, Weeks, or Months?

Four days into their mission, NOAA members spotted the net, and they were in awe at what they saw. The net was 30ft. long and 8ft. wide. It was so full of trash that it stuck out one foot above the water. It took researchers and volunteers three days to drag this monster net, weighing 11.5 tons, from the depths of the ocean. Now, they are assessing the damage done to the reef and the wildlife of the area.

This is not the first cleanup resulting in monstrous findings of trash and litter in the coral reefs surrounding Hawaii, and it definitely won’t be the last. It isn’t enough to do cleanups, however, to completely win the “War on Trash” we have to stop the hazards at the source.

Protect, protect, protect:

Pacific Ocean"s Monster Net -- The War on Trash in Hawaii