Archive for June 22nd, 2008
Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
The Costa Rican banana industry is intending to go carbon neutral in a joint effort to make the small Central American nation the first to offset all its carbon dioxide emissions by 2021.
President Oscar Arias recently announced that Costa Rica aims to cut its net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2021, in time to celebrate the country 200 years of independence. A plan of action has already been approved and many projects are now underway to reach this target.
Costa Rica is an international leader on green issues, with protected areas like national parks and biological reserves covering more than a quarter of its territory. It is the first tropical nation to reverse deforestation. Thanks to conservation and replanting, its forest cover has increased from 21 percent in 1987 to 52 percent today. The banana industry’s contribution to conservation and reforestation is 6,305 hectares of replanted forests, 14.4% of the land used for banana plantations. The country also generates 78 percent of its energy with hydroelectric power and another 18 percent by wind or geothermal power. The next step is to cut emissions from transport, farming, and industry. (more…)
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Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
Three more teams booked their places to the third round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying as regional powers Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica all posted victories. Here is a rundown of their victories.
Mexico trounces Belize
So much for that huge upset in CONCACAF qualifying.
When Mexico only defeated Belize 2-0 in the first leg of their World Cup qualifying series there was at least a little speculation about whether the tiny Central American country could shock the world and knock off mighty Mexico.
Not so much.
The Mexicans scored seven unanswered goals to smash Belize, 7-0, to win the series and book their expected place in the third round of World Cup qualifying. Now Mexico joins a qualifying group that includes Honduras, Canada and Jamaica, with only two of the four teams advancing to the final round of World Cup qualifying.
Costa Rica tops Grenada, Guatamala rolls
Costa Rica booked its place to next round of qualifying with a 3-0 win against Grenada to record a 5-2 series victory. Alvaro Saborio, Bryan Ruiz and Randall Azofeifa all scored for ‘Los Ticos’ to book a place in a third round group that will include the winners of the Guyana-Suriname, Panama-El Salvador and Haiti-Netherland Antilles match-ups, which are all slated for completion today.
Guatemala also cruised in its second-leg match against St. Lucia, rolling to a 3-1 win to take a 9-1 series victory. Gonzalo Romero scored twice while Carlos Ruiz started and played 90 minutes for ‘Los Chapines’. Guatemala became the first team to qualify for a group expected to include the United States and the winners of the Trinidad & Tobago/Bermuda and Cuba/Antigua and Barbuda series.
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Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
In what now seems to be a pattern that threatens Costa Rica, three airlines announced that they will suspend flights to Central America at the beginning of the second semester this year due to increases in jet fuel and operating costs.
Where Costa Rica learned that Carlos Ricardo Benavides, the minister of tourism, announced that there are no official reports about flight cancellations or reductions.
United Airlines reported the suspension of flights to Guatemala beginning September 2. Jesus Rodriguez, the sales manager for Central America and the Caribbean said that the increase in crude oil prices provoked an increase in operating costs, which in turn made it impossible to continue flights to Guatemala. United Airlines has been operating in Guatemala for the past 17 years and offered a daily flight from Los Angeles and vice versa. (more…)
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Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
It was announced yesterday that beginning Monday, June 23, a new Pico y Placa program would restrict vehicle usage during rush hour, depending on license plate. Today, we learn that more changes are in store for the Costa Rica Travel scene, beginning with a double tax on diesel-fueled vehicles, as well as an increased yearly tax for the country’s luxury cars.
There are currently about 66,000 registered personal-use vehicles that use diesel in Costa Rica, and the Minister of the Treasury, Guillermo Zúñiga, said that the government hopes to double the marchamo (yearly tax and registration) on all personal-use diesel vehicles. However, in an effort to lighten the financial load on these owners, they will eliminate the tax on diesel fuels, while raising the tax on all three types of gasoline. Vehicles used for public transit, cargo, and work vehicles will be excluded from the double marchamo. (more…)
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