Costa Rica unveils climate change mitigation projects

Costa Rica's first lady Claudia Dobles (pictured) presented a plan to municipal government representatives on Wednesday to carry out 1.63bn colones (US$2.68mn) in climate adaptation projects throughout the country.

The funds come from a grant from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which Dobles helped secure at a conference in South Korea in October.

Following a careful selection process, some 20 cantons considered to be highly vulnerable to extreme events resulting from droughts and floods were chosen for the projects, the Costa Rican government said in a release.

The selected municipalities include Parita, Montes de Oro, Puntarenas, Talamanca, Siquirres, Marina, Pococí, Nicoya, La Cruz, Cañas, Alajuelita, Acosta, Naranjo, Turrialba, Guatuso, Upala, Los Chiles, Buenos Aires, Corredores and Osa.

The grant will specifically be used to carry out training, regional planning and risk assessment projects in each canton.

The projects will be executed over the next three years and be the responsibility of housing ministry MIVAH, environment ministry MINAE, planning and economic ministry MIDEPLAN, the national institute of housing and urbanism (INVU), the institute of municipal promotion and advice (IFAM), and the national emergency commission (CNE).

UN Environment will be in charge of providing technical advice for the projects.

This is the first donation the GCF, an operating entity of the financial mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Paris Agreement, makes to Costa Rica.