Costa Rica Country Report
This country report analyzes Costa Rica's climate planning documents through the application of a "Water Resilience Tracker" tool to assess how well water considerations are integrated into national climate strategies. Costa Rica, a Central American nation with abundant water resources, faces significant climate change impacts including projected droughts on Pacific watersheds and flooding on Caribbean watersheds, with variations expected to reach 65% and 50% respectively by 2080.
The report evaluates eight key policy documents spanning from 2008-2021, including National Climate Change Strategies, Nationally Determined Contributions, National Adaptation Policy, and water management plans. While the analysis reveals that Costa Rica demonstrates strong commitment to climate action with clear linkages between water and climate considerations across all documents, it identifies critical gaps including insufficient prioritization of water-related risks, limited flexibility in water allocation mechanisms during climate stress, and inadequate integration of water uncertainty into sectoral planning, particularly in the crucial hydropower sector that generates 70% of the country's energy.
“We have been able to work with the Water Resilience Tracker to enable us to improve and align the different climate plans in Costa Rica and develop bankable, water-resilient projects, and support our Paris commitments.”
The report concludes with recommendations for improving water integration in climate planning, including developing detailed gap analyses, capacity building programs, and enhanced tracking mechanisms for climate investments, while highlighting Costa Rica's strengths in ecosystem-based approaches and Payment for Environmental Services systems.
