Is the National Carbon Neutrality Program Effective?

Previous studies on voluntary environmental programs state that the ability of this type of policy instrument to achieve its objectives is essentially limited. Additionally, these studies also call attention to the need of exploring new criteria to evaluate this kind of intervention. In response to this concern, this work uses the National Carbon Neutrality Program that is implemented in Costa Rica since 2012 as a case study to generate key information to determine its relevance and effectiveness. This in turn, contributes to the identification of alternating assessment criteria, which take into account aspects related to the design and implementation of this kind of programs. In particular, this paper presents the most relevant results of a survey done to the companies participating in this program up to July 2016. Overall, the survey results suggest that the program, to date, has a high level of concentration in terms of geography and the participants’ profile. Its implementation is characterized by different levels of information access, costs, and length of the processes established in the Program. And finally, as an instrument of environmental policy, it seems ineffective in motivating a real transformation in the participating companies, at least in terms of its ability to reduce GHG emissions.