Costa Rica in the international moral of decarbonization: Multi-scalar political interactions

Abstract

This article analyzes the construction of an international decarbonization morale and its relationship with projects on a national scale. The central objective of this work was to explore the multi-scale interactions between the international decarbonization morale and its national appropriation, with a case study of Costa Rica and its symbolic construction as an exemplary decarbonization country. To do this, we looked at the discussions surrounding the formulation of Costa Rica's National Decarbonization Policy.

The main findings reveal that decarbonization emerges as the dominant moral response to the climate crisis by focusing on the technical management of greenhouse gases while displacing the need for structural transformations of the capitalist system. Concurrently, Costa Rica instrumentalizes this framework to reinforce its international image as environmentally exemplary state, employing decarbonization as a strategy to position itself in green markets, attract transnational investments, and negotiate geoeconomic advantages.

It is concluded that, although decarbonization offers practical solutions, it also operates as a political discourse that masks underlying economic interests and contributes to perpetuating the systemic dynamics generating the climate crisis. Finally, given the urgency of climate change/crisis, critical reflections on hegemonic responses and the ideological processes that construct socioecological reality are imperative for advancing toward a horizon of social and environmental justice.

Keywords: International morality; decarbonization; geopolitics; consensus; hegemony.