Beth, Paul, et al, Costa Rica certainly has a "green" self-identity: that is what it tells the world it is. But Costa Rica also has a rapidly growing population, fairly rapid industrialization, and one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, among other environmental problems. I spent about a quarter of last year in Costa Rica and did not see (using non-quantitative measures) that it was evidently sustainable, despite its good scores on sustainability metrics (from CIESIN, for example). Apart from public finance problems, gross under funding of sustainability policies, much illegal logging, and an almost complete absence of central government participation in many rural areas, it imports most liquid fuels (but exports hydro-electricity - so you can see that it has intervened in many watersheds) and many consumer goods. It is beautiful but far from perfect.
Identity is of interest not for its existence but its effects and as Paul comments, it is wise to dissect "identity" into smaller particles (especially separating self- from other). As Beth comments her student is interested in "the concept of states developing (and acting upon) green identities." For several reasons Costa Rica has not acted well upon its green self-identity. It has a very high national debt load and a weak and corrupt central government (its last three or four presidents from both sides of the political spectrum have been indicted). Its government finances are heavily burdened by large inefficient parastatals that, however, contribute much to a quite enviable equality of development across the country. So, even in that paragon "self-identity" has not translated into really effective government action. However, if the country tells itself enough times that it is green its people begin to get the idea. What is truly amazing in Costa Rica is how much of the green identity is put into practice at the community level with assistance from many local NGOs. I have been assisting one community association in its search for funding to buy and expand the last local stands of primary forest (if you know of any good $$ sources, please let me know). Thus, identity may be more important as an educational tool than as a policy motivator and as I concluded in my 2000 book, sustainable development ultimately is about changing the minds of the people, Cheers, Neil -----Original Message----- From: Paul Steinberg [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 11, 2005 2:00 PM To: gep-ed@listserve1.allegheny.edu Subject: Re: Green "identity" of states? Following Leonard's note, I should elaborate briefly on Costa Rica's green identity. We need to distinguish between the "identity" portion of Beth's query and the larger issue of accomplishments in the environmental arena. I interpret the identity question to mean does a state (or, alternatively, does a society) conceive of itself and/or present itself as pro-environment. So refining the question requires clarifying achievements vs identify; state vs social identity; and identify as notion of self or one's identity in the eyes of others. Costa Rica is an interesting test case for Beth's question, not because of its achievements (which are considerable, and are documented in my book and elsewhere) but because its leaders have gone to great lengths to present a green image to the world. Nearly every Costa Rican president since the early 1970s has paid considerable attention to environmental policy, both rhetorically and in terms of policy decisions. Beginning in the mid-1980s the country's policy elites started to project this image abroad, making it a central piece of foreign policy, positioning the country at the leading edge of a wide variety of international initiatives (debt-for-nature swaps, joint implementation, payment for ecosystem services, etc) and advertising Costa Rica as a major ecotourism destination. The domestic dynamic is very different, with PLN party leaders choosing sustainability as a suitable conceptual framework for the post-Cold War era, bipartisan alliances ensuring continuity in environmental programs, and widespread, autonomous social mobilization for the environment that proceeded in lock-step with state initiatives. What is the connection between social green identify and the national green identify touted by leaders? So many questions, so little time. Paul -- Paul F. Steinberg Assistant Professor of Political Science and Environmental Policy Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Harvey Mudd College 301 E. 12th Street, Claremont, CA 91711 tel. 909-607-3840 fax 909-607-7600 http://www.humsoc.hmc.edu/paulweb/index.html
