This document summarizes Costa Rica's experience with transparency of mitigation efforts and lessons learned. Costa Rica has a long-standing climate policy framework and reporting system to track progress on emissions targets. Key challenges include developing the national transparency and registry system (SINAMECC), implementing sector-specific plans (NAMAs), and coordinating support for its NDC goals. Lessons learned include the importance of building on existing monitoring strengths, stakeholder engagement, tracking efforts through coordinated metrics, and international guidance on transparency.

1. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Climate Change Expert Group (CCXG)
Global Forum on the Environment and Climate Change – September
13 and 14, 2016
Breakout Group 4: Transparency of mitigation – lessons learned
from experience with reporting and technical review/analysis
(Room CC 12)
TRANSPARENCY OF MITIGATION:
LESSONS LEARNED FROM COSTA RICA
Pascal Girot
Ministry of Environment and
Energy
COSTA RICA

2. Contents
◎Costa Rica’s Policy Framework and current
reporting system
◎Metrics and Reporting on Emissions Targets
◎Key lessons learned

3. 1.
Costa Rica’s
Climate Policy
Framework
Current reporting system
and future options

5. Milestones in Costa Rica’s Sustainable
Development Pathway
Costa Rica starts to
build a National
Sustainable
Development Agenda,
based on Biodiversity
Conservation, Forestry
and Renewable Energy
KEY INSTITUTIONS
CREATED
National Forestry Finance
Fund created (FONAFIFO)
Eco-tourism
Consolidation of National
Protected Areas System
(SINAC)
Service oriented economy
Environmental impact
assessments (SETENA)
(1998)
Carbon Neutrality Goal
established(2007)
C-Neutral Brand
launched
53% forest cover
99% Electricity coverage
92% Electricity
generation from
renewables
INDC
Intended Nationally
Determined
Contribution (2015)
Priority sectors for
Mitigation:
Transport
Agriculture and
Livestock
Energy
Waste
1990 2000 2010 2015
Environmental
Service
Payments
launched (1997)
1997
National Climate
Change Strategy
launched (2009)
Action Plan for the
National Climate
Change Strategy
(2011)
Third National
Communication
presented to the
UNFCCC (2014)
2007
BUR 2015
Strategy for
Ecosystem based
Adaptation by the
National Protected
Area System –SINAC
(2015)
Long Standing
Policy on
Renewable
Electricity
production –
today 97% of
electricity comes
from
renwables(1946-
2016)

6. HOW FAR HAVE WE GONE?
National Climate Change Strategy
National Development Plan 2014-2018 (Climate Change fully
integrated, mentioned 53 times)
Country Programme on Carbon Neutrality
C-Neutral Brand
NAMAs (Coffee, Livestock, Urban Transport)
National Adaptation Plan- Road Map
INDCs Process

7. CLIMATE
ACTION
Costa Rica centers its approach
around the concept of climate
action which seeks to:
 Increase the resilience of
Costa Rican society
 Strengthen the capacities for
low-emissions developmenty
Costa Rica is building its Climate
Action:
 By mitigating its GHG
emissions,
 By adapting to the
inevitable impacts of
climate change

8. Costa Rica’s INDC Mitigation Goals

9. Climate Action in Costa Rica
MRV: SINAMECC Diseño y Puesta en Operación
Emissions Reduction
and Removals
Programme
National Adaptation
Programme
Country
Programme for
Carbon Trading
and Domestic
Carbon Market
Transformational
Approach to Mitigation
National:
National Energy Plan
2015-2030
National REDD Strategy
Sector-Wide:
Coffee NAMA
Livestock NAMA
Urban Mobility NAMA
Biomass NAMA….etc
National Adaptation Plan
with
Territorial Focus:
Regional Adaptation pilot
in Huetar Norte
Sector-wide focus:
•Agriculture-Forestry,
Water Resources,
Infraestructure,
Biodiversity
Local approaches:
Adaptation Fund
Strengthening/Relaun
ching of Country
Programme
•Work with SMEs
•Revamping of
Domestic Carbon
Market focused on
reverse auctionning
and carbon pricing
Climate finance: Design of the Country Strategy for GCF, Reporting System and Inventory of projects
International Agenda: AILAC, Negotionations under the CMA
Climate Governance
REPORTING AND MONITORING: SINAMECC

10. KEY CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
• Fully developing the National Transparency and Registry System: SINAMECC
• Implementation of NAMAs (i.e NAMA in livestock, coffee, transport)
• Coordination of Support for INDC (proposals, workshops, technical assistance,
financial) ( PMR-WB,GIZ, UNDP,WB-FCPF)
• Synergies between INDC and NAP processes
• Developing common accounting and guidance (Regional Programme Support for
Common Accounting Rules-GIZ-).
• South-South Cooperation (Goals for admissions into OECD)
• Research and Development- for improving on metrics
• Financial Architecture (fiscal ressources, loans, grants)

11. 2.
Metricsand Reporting
on EmissionsTargets

12. Mitigation Adaptation Finance
Co-
benefits
SINAMECC a multi-purpose system

13. NDC
GHG
Inventory
BUR
Adaptaton
Fund
Projects
NAMAs
Institutional
Environmental
Management
Programmes
C-
Neutrality
Country
Programme-
Carbon
Market
NATIONAL SYSTEM FOR CLIMATE
CHANGE METRICS- SINAMECC
Sources of
Information

14. Country Programme and
Domestic Carbon Market:
Carbon Footprint
Measurement
Emissions Reporting
Emission reductions
measures
Emissions Removal
Plans
Carbon Neutrality
Certification Process
OVV´s and Carbon
Accountants
OVV´s
Emissions
Reductions Plans
Domestic Carbon
market
Public-Private
Partnerships
Eco-Labelling
of Products

15. CHALLENGES IN THE AFOLU Sector
NATIONAL GHG INVENTORY
AFOLU SECTOR
(emissions emissions reductions and removals )
Agregate
Indicators
Activity Specific
Indicadors and
Emissions Factors
NAMA
Agregate
Indicators
Activity Specific
Indicadors and
Emissions
Factors NAMA
Agregate
Indicators vs.
Reference
Scenarios
Reference
Scenarios and
Removal
Factors by
Forest Type
Agregate
Indicators on
Co-Benefits
Other
sectors
Sinergies with
Adaptation goals
Biodiversity,
Health Co-
Benefits

16. KEY CHALLENGES
-Limited timeframe: Two Years
- Evolution from TIER 1 towards TIER 2
Energy
AFOLU
-Evolving baseline and limited availability of
data and data analysis
-Limited number of GCM used
- Transparency to report on progress and
bolster action
-Accountability to inform on compliance
(particularly for ITMOs)
Source: Costa Rica´s BUR, 2015

17. 3.
KEYLESSONS
LEARNED

18. Source: Costa Rica´s INDC, 2015
Lessons learned/best practices
 Long standing tradition of
systematic observation of
climate/Downscaling models
available
Ambitious INDC presented
Opportunity to synchronize and
improve coherence between
reporting mechanisms (NDCs, NC,
BUR)
Peer Review, ICA reviewed BUR
Increasing demand for open data
Opportunities for improved
communication of climate scenarios
and GHG Inventories

19. KEY LESSONS LEARNED
• Ambition does not happen overnight….need to build on existing
strengths- Climate change policy is cross-cutting, and requires
embedding policy goals into inter-sectoral and inter-ministerial decision
making processes and structures
• Broad stakeholder engagement is essential to communicate goals and
build consensus, and negotiate burden sharing
• Tracking of efforts and results requires substantial investments in
Coordination and Metrics-
• Open Data Policy may help cut costs in the long term, International
exchanges on Open Data and its relation to Transparency will be
useful
• International Guidance on Transparency and Accountability will be
critical

20. Thank you!
Any questions?
pascalgirot@gmail.com
pgirot@minae.go.cr
www.cambioclimaticocr.com