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Costa Rica Enters Top 20 in World Happiness Report

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Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Costa Rica has reason to celebrate as the Central American nation entered the top 20 happiest countries in the world, according to the latest UN-sponsored World Happiness Report published on Wednesday. The report, which has been published for over a decade, ranks 143 countries based on factors such as life satisfaction, GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption. Costa Rica’s entry into the top 20 at number 12 is a significant achievement, especially considering that the United States and Germany, two of the world’s largest economies, failed to make the top 20 for the first time since the report’s inception. The report also noted that the happiest countries no longer included any of the world’s largest countries, with only the Netherlands and Australia having populations over 15 million in the top 10. While Finland remained the world’s happiest country for the seventh consecutive year, with other Nordic countries like Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden also ranking in the top 10, Costa Rica’s success in the report is a testament to the country’s commitment to the well-being of its citizens. Costa Rica has made significant strides in environmental conservation, renewable energy, and sustainable tourism. These factors, combined with a strong emphasis on education, healthcare, and social support, have contributed to its high levels of happiness and life satisfaction. As the world continues to grapple with growing inequality and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Costa Rica’s success in the World Happiness Report should serve as an inspiration to everyone and a reminder that prioritizing the well-being of citizens can lead to a happier, more prosperous society. The post Costa Rica Enters Top 20 in World Happiness Report appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Costa Rica’s entry into the top 20 at number 12 is a significant achievement, especially considering that the United States and Germany, two of the world’s largest economies, failed to make the top 20 for the first time since the report’s inception. The report also noted that the happiest countries no longer included any of the world’s largest countries, with only the Netherlands and Australia having populations over 15 million in the top 10.

While Finland remained the world’s happiest country for the seventh consecutive year, with other Nordic countries like Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden also ranking in the top 10, Costa Rica’s success in the report is a testament to the country’s commitment to the well-being of its citizens.

Costa Rica has made significant strides in environmental conservation, renewable energy, and sustainable tourism. These factors, combined with a strong emphasis on education, healthcare, and social support, have contributed to its high levels of happiness and life satisfaction.

As the world continues to grapple with growing inequality and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Costa Rica’s success in the World Happiness Report should serve as an inspiration to everyone and a reminder that prioritizing the well-being of citizens can lead to a happier, more prosperous society.

The post Costa Rica Enters Top 20 in World Happiness Report appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

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Constitutional Court Upholds Cocos Island National Park Expansion

The Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) and the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC-MINAE) annouced the Constitutional Court rejected the action filed by several fishermen associations against the expansion of the boundaries of Cocos Island National Park established through Executive Decree No. 43368-MINAE. The constitutional judges unanimously considered that the aforementioned decree does not violate constitutional rights. “A consultation process was carried out prior to the issuance of the challenged decree in which the fishing sector was given ample participation and in which it was able to raise issues, doubts, request additional hearings and provide evidence,” the Constitutional Court declared. The plaintiffs claimed that the Decree was contrary to Articles 11, 28, 33, 34, 45, 46, and 50 of the Political Constitution, and that it violated the constitutional principles of regulatory power, legal reserve, free enterprise, right to work, innocence, legality, reasonableness, legitimate trust, and pro homine. The judges also pointed out that there are technical studies that demonstrated the viability of issuing the decree, in order to provide greater protection to the Cocos Island National Park and the Bicentennial Marine Area. “The permits, concessions, and authorizations of the fishermen have not been modified or affected, and the scope of the decree seeks to provide greater protection to the marine resource, so that neither legal certainty nor legitimate trust is harmed,” the Chamber said. The process of expanding the area was based on technical-scientific studies prepared by academia and researchers, a model for defining sites of conservation importance, and various other sources. Prior to the publication of the Executive Decree, MINAE-SINAC had carried out a series of participatory roundtables with key stakeholders, such as academia, non-governmental organizations, public institutions, the tourism, and fishing productive sector, among other stakeholders involved in the process. Because of its category, Cocos Island National Park is a protected area that limits its uses to ecotourism, research, and environmental education. “With the expansion, the country meets the international commitments made to conserve 30% of the marine territory by 2030, through the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People initiative,” commented Franz Tattenbach, Minister of Environment and Energy. Gina Cuza, Regional Director of the Cocos Marine Conservation Area, also noted that this expansion aligns with similar regional efforts by countries like Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama. These efforts are aimed at achieving greater connectivity in the Eastern Tropical Pacific region and safeguarding a marine area that is home to highly migratory, threatened, and vulnerable species. The post Constitutional Court Upholds Cocos Island National Park Expansion appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Conservation

Energy

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A Major Sea Turtle Nesting Site, on Bijagos Islands, Is Worlds Away From Crowds

Green sea turtles swim hundreds of miles to nest on a spectacular West African archipelago. Getting there is quite a journey for humans, too.

Sign up for the Travel Dispatch newsletter. Essential news on the changing travel landscape, expert tips and inspiration for your future trips. Each year, thousands of baby green sea turtles clamber across a beautiful, white-sand paradise that is one of the largest hatching sites of this species in the Atlantic, adorably making their way to the sea. There’s one noticeable absence: people.The spectacular hatching events take place between August and December on Poilão Island, a tiny, uninhabited speck off the coast of Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. It is the southernmost island of the 88 that make up the Bijagós archipelago, a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Last year, turtles laid more than 44,000 nests on its 1.4 mile-long beach.While the masses of turtles seem to have little trouble finding the spot to lay their eggs — some swim more than 600 miles across the North Atlantic — it’s hard to imagine somewhere more challenging for human turtle-lovers to reach.The country’s tourism minister, Alberto Demba Touré, said that access is a main challenge. “We want to increase the tourists who go to the Bijagós,” he said. Last year, UNESCO declared its support for the Bijagós Islands to seek World Heritage List status, which, if successful, would increase its visibility and strengthen its environmental protections.Turtle conservation programs have become a staple of resorts in many popular destinations, including in Hawaii, Mexico and throughout the Caribbean. Guinea-Bissau may like to capture a meager sliver of that pie, but it would be with steep challenges.Politically fragile Guinea-Bissau has very little infrastructure and is one of the world’s poorest and least touristed nations. Most flights to Bissau, the country’s sleepy capital on the mainland, require a connection in Lisbon or Dakar, Senegal. Then, from Bissau, it’s a bumpy one-hour drive to the coast, and five to seven hours in a speedboat (depending on the route) to Poilão Island.Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.

Conservation

New rule prioritizes conservation on US public lands

A new rule introduced by the Biden administration aims to balance conservation with economic activities on America's public lands, enhancing protections and sustainable use. Catrin Einhorn reports for The New York Times.In short:The rule impacts 245 million acres, promoting ecological restoration and compensating for environmental damage.Conservation will now be considered as significant as grazing, mining, and other land uses.The measure responds to the increasing environmental pressures such as climate-induced wildfires and droughts.Key quote: "As stewards of America's public lands, the Interior Department takes seriously our role in helping bolster landscape resilience in the face of worsening climate impacts." — Deb Haaland, U.S. Secretary of the Interior.Why this matters: This policy represents a strategic shift in how public lands are managed, intertwining ecological health with national economic and security interests, and addressing the urgent challenges posed by climate change. Read more from EHN's newsroom: Public lands are not neutral. We must grapple with their racist roots.

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Biden administration issues final rule to allow local agencies to lease some federal lands

The Biden administration has issued its final rule on maintenance of public lands, finalizing a 2023 proposal to allow leases of those lands for conservation purposes. The rule, issued Thursday by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), would finalize the bureau’s proposal for “conservation leases.” It outlines which people and entities would qualify, including tribal governments, state fish and wildlife agencies and conservation districts. It would not be an option for any usages that contradict existing ones. The rule also clarifies the process by which BLM designates Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs), or areas within federal lands that need special upkeep considerations. It clarifies and streamlines the previous process, which was “described partially in regulation and partially in agency policy,” according to the final rule. “As stewards of America’s public lands, the Interior Department takes seriously our role in helping bolster landscape resilience in the face of worsening climate impacts. Today’s final rule helps restore balance to our public lands as we continue using the best-available science to restore habitats, guide strategic and responsible development, and sustain our public lands for generations to come,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement accompanying the final rule. “This rule honors our obligation to current and future generations to help ensure our public lands and waters remain healthy amid growing pressures and change,” BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning said. The final rule comes the week after the Interior Department issued a separate rule raising fees for oil and gas drilling on public lands, much of it codifying provisions passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. That rule raises the royalty rate from 12.5 percent to 16.67 percent, as well as increasing annual rent rates from $1.50 for the first five years and $3 thereafter to $5 for the first five years and $15 after.

Conservation

Climate

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Land Under BLM Management to Get New Protections

The measure elevates conservation in a number of ways, including by creating new leases for the restoration of degraded areas.

The Biden administration on Thursday announced a new federal rule for the nation’s sprawling public lands that puts conservation on par with activities like grazing, energy development and mining.The new rule relates to areas overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, some 245 million acres that make up a 10th of the country’s land, mainly in the West. It elevates conservation in a number of ways, including by creating two new kinds of leases for the restoration of degraded lands and for offsetting environmental damage.These lands have long been managed for “multiple uses,” including cattle ranching, drilling and recreation. But some of those activities, combined with new pressures from wildfires and drought, both fueled by climate change, have taken a toll.“As stewards of America’s public lands, the Interior Department takes seriously our role in helping bolster landscape resilience in the face of worsening climate impacts,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. “Today’s final rule helps restore balance to our public lands as we continue using the best-available science to restore habitats, guide strategic and responsible development, and sustain our public lands for generations to come.”Last year, congressional Republicans and other opponents reacted with outrage to an earlier version of the lease idea, accusing the Biden administration of a land-grab and of putting national security in jeopardy by allowing foreign entities to tie up land that could have critical economic and geopolitical uses like mineral extraction. The final rule clarifies that leases will be issued only to qualified groups, will not be issued to foreigners and will not be issued when incompatible with existing uses.The move is the latest in a flurry of environmental announcements and decisions from the Biden Administration, including denying permission for a road through Alaskan wilderness and restoring endangered species protections.Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.

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When Louise Coghill saw the first plume of smoke begin to rise behind her parents property, she could never have predicted that in less than four hours, it would become a wall of flames, swallowing everything in its path. A photographer by trade, Louise has travelled the world documenting everything from the nomadic wanderers of Mongolia, to base life at Mount Everest. Capturing the extraordinary comes naturally to Louise, so when her family home in the semi-rural Western Australian town of Gidgegannup became engulfed in flames, her first instinct wasn’t to take shelter, it was to pick up her camera.

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Follow Dr. Bohlen and Amanda Lindsey from the UCF Arboretum in episode 2 of Nature Nut! They follow the water from campus storm drains, into the Natural Lands, where it filters and flows through Arboretum wetlands before joining the surrounding Central Florida rivers.

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