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Grecia, September 3, 2013 – The Supreme Court has accepted an unconstitutionality petition filed against agricultural burning in Costa Rica and given the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Environment fifteen days to rule on the merits of the allegations.

In view of this Resolution agricultural burning permits will not be issued.

The action filed by an alliance of La Asociación Confraternidad Guanacasteca and Air Limpio Vida Sana of the Canton of Grecia questioned the legality of burning as they consider it to be contrary to the Constitution and a long list of laws and international conventions that protect public health and the environment.

The Constitutional Court in 2002 ordered development of a plan to solve these issues, giving ten months ‘under penalty of disobedience’ for planning and implementation. It’s been more than ten years, yet nothing has been instigated by government authorities to end the burning.

The United Nations in 2005 declared environmental pollution as the third global critical problem after famine and poverty.

“Already there are many countries that prohibit burning and Costa Rica, a world leader in environmental issues, is lagging in this respect,” said Carolina Rugeles, agricultural engineer and creator of the Aire Limpio Vida Sana group. “Now, there is opportunity to put another concrete basis in national law.”

“In agriculture the old method of pre-harvest cane firing is not consistent with current ecological philosophy,” she added. “Resultant pollution conflicts with the country’s plan to be carbon neutral by 2021 and causes enormous damage to the health of the population and biodiversity. The contamination accelerates the accumulation of greenhouse gases, thus increasing the rate of climate change and global warming.”

Gadi Amit, a founder of La Asociación Confraternidad Guanacasteca, said that modernization is required especially in regard to cutting sugar cane ‘green’ and with mechanization to avoid more deaths of cane cutters from cell and kidney damage, the disproportionate increase in asthma cases, and poor prognosis in cancer in the country’s population.

Citizens of Costa Rica and the tourists who visit us want clean air to breathe.

Aire Limpio Vida Sana ([email protected]) and La Asociación Confraternidad Guanacasteca ([email protected]) are citizens groups concerned with the health and quality of life of Costa Ricans. Both are found on Facebook.

Media Contacts:

Joan Ritchie Dewar, 2444-8796, [email protected]
Carolina Rugeles, Agricultural Engineer, 8329-3741, [email protected]