WEBVTT

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How do we build a society

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without fossil fuels?

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This is a very complex challenge,

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and I believe developing countries

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could take the lead in this transition.

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And I'm aware that this
is a contentious statement,

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but the reality is that so much
is at stake in our countries

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if we let fossil fuels stay

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at the center of our development.

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We can do it differently,

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and it's time, it really is time,

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to debunk the myth

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that a country has to choose
between development on the one hand

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and environmental protection,
renewables, quality of life, on the other.

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I come from Costa Rica,
a developing country.

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We are nearly 5 million people,

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and we live right in the middle
of the Americas,

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so it's very easy to remember
where we live.

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Nearly 100 percent of our electricity

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comes from renewable sources,

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five of them.

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(Applause)

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Hydropower, geothermal,

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wind, solar, biomass.

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Did you know that last year,

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for 299 days,

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we did not use any fossil fuels

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in order to generate all our electricity?

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It's a fantastic achievement,

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and yet, it hides a paradox,

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which is that nearly 70 percent

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of all our energy consumption is oil.

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Why?

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Because of our transportation system,

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which is totally dependent
on fossil fuels,

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like it is in most countries.

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So if we think of the energy transition
as a marathon,

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the question is, how do we get
to the finishing line,

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how do we decarbonize
the rest of the economy?

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And it's fair to say
that if we don't succeed,

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it's difficult to see who will.

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So that is why I want to talk to you
about Costa Rica,

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because I believe we are a great candidate

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in pioneering a vision for development
without fossil fuels.

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If you know one thing about our country,

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it is that we don't have an army.

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So I'm going to take you back to 1948.

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That year, the country
was coming out of civil war.

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Thousands of Costa Ricans had died,

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and families were bitterly split,

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and yet, a surprising idea
won the hearts and minds:

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we would reboot the country,
and that Second Republic

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would have no army.

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So we abolished it.

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And the president at the time,

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José Figueres, found a powerful way
by smashing the walls of an army base.

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The following year, 1949,

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we made that decision permanent
in the new constitution,

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and that is why I can tell you that story
nearly 70 years later.

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And I'm grateful.

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I'm grateful they made that decision
before I was born,

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because it allowed me
and millions of others

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to live in a very stable country.

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And you might be thinking
that it was good luck,

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but it wasn't.

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There was a pattern of deliberate choices.

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In the '40s, Costa Ricans were given
free education and free health care.

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We called that social guarantees.

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By abolishing the army,

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we were able to turn military spending
into social spending,

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and that was a driver of stability.

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In the '50s --

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(Applause) --

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In the '50s, we started
investing in hydropower,

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and that kept us away from the trap

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of using fossil fuels
for electricity generation,

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which is what the world
is struggling with today.

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In the '70s we invested in national parks,

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and that kept us away

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from the deeply flawed logic
of growth, growth, growth at any cost

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that you see others embracing,
especially in the developing world.

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In the '90s, we pioneered payments
for ecosystem services,

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and that helped us reverse deforestation

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and boosted ecotourism,
which today is a key engine of growth.

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So investing in environmental protection

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did not hurt our economy.

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Quite the opposite.

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And it doesn't mean we are perfect,

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and it doesn't mean
we don't have contradictions.

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That's not the point.

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The point is that,
by making our own choices,

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we were able to develop resilience
in dealing with development problems.

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Also, if you take a country like ours,

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the GDP per capita
is around 11,000 dollars,

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depending on how you measure it.

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But according
to the Social Progress Index,

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we are an absolute outlier
when it comes to turning GDP

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into social progress.

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Abolishing the army,

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investing in nature and people,

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did something very powerful too.

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It shaped the narrative,

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the narrative of a small country
with big ideas,

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and it was very empowering
to grow up with that narrative.

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So the question is,

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what is the next big idea
for this generation?

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And I believe what comes next
is for this generation

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to let go of fossil fuels for good,

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just as we did with the army.

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Fossil fuels create climate change.

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We know that, and we know

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how vulnerable we are
to the impacts of climate change.

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So as a developing country,
it is in our best interest

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to build development
without fossil fuels

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that harm people in the first place.

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Because

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why would we continue importing oil

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for transportation

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if we can use electricity instead?

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Remember,

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this is the country

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where electricity comes from

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water in our rivers,

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heat from volcanoes,

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wind turbines, solar panels,

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biowaste.

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Abolishing fossil fuels means
disrupting our transportation system

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so that we can power our cars,

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buses, and trains, with electricity

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instead of dirty energy.

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And transportation, let me tell you,

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has become an existential issue
for us Costa Ricans,

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because the model we have
is not working for us.

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It's hurting people,

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it's hurting companies,

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and it's hurting our health.

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Because when policies
and infrastructure fails,

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this is what happens on a daily basis.

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Two hours in the morning,

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two hours in the evening.

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I don't understand why
we have to accept this as normal.

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It's offensive

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to have to waste our time like this
every single day.

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And this highway is actually quite good
compared to what you see

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in other countries
where traffic is exploding.

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You know, Costa Ricans
call this "presa."

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Presa means "imprisoned."

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And people are turning violent

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in a country that is otherwise
happy in [???].

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It's happening.

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So a lot is at stake.

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The good news

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is that when we talk about
clean transportation

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and different mobility,
we're not talking about some

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distant utopia out there.

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We're talking about electric mobility
that is happening today.

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By 2022, electric cars
and conventional cars

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are expected to cost the same,

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and cities are already trying
electric buses,

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and these really cool creatures

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are saving money,

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and they reduce pollution.

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So if we want to get rid
of oil-based transportation, we can,

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because we have options now
that we didn't have before.

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It's really exciting.

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But of course,

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some get very uncomfortable

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with this idea,

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and they will come and they will tell you

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that the world is stuck with oil,
and so is Costa Rica, so get real.

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That's what they tell you.

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And you know what the answer
to that argument is?

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That in 1948, we didn't say
the world is stuck with armies,

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so let's keep our army too.

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No, we made a very brave choice,

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and that choice made the whole difference.

NOTE Paragraph

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So it's time for this generation

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to be brave again

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and abolish fossil fuels for good.

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And I'll give you three reasons
why we have to do this.

NOTE Paragraph

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First,

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our model of transportation
and urbanization is broken,

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so this is the best moment

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to really find our urban
and mobility future.

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We don't want cities
that are built for cars.

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We want cities for people

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where we can walk and we can use bikes.

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And we want public transportation,

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lots of it,

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public transportation
that is clean and dignifying.

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Because if we continue adding
fleets of conventional cars,

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our cities will become unbearable.

NOTE Paragraph

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Second, we have to change,

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but incremental change is not
going to be sufficient.

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We need transformational change.

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And there are some incremental projects
in my country,

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and I am the first one to celebrate them.

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But let's not kid ourselves.

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We're not talking about ending up
with really beautiful electric cars here

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and a few electric buses there

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while we keep investing in the same kind
of infrastructure, more cars, more roads,

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more oil.

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We're talking about
breaking free from oil,

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and you cannot get there
through incrementalism.

NOTE Paragraph

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Third, and you know this one,

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the world is hungry for inspiration.

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It craves stories of success

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in dealing with complex issues,

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especially in developing countries.

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So I believe Costa Rica
can be an inspiration to others,

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as we did last year when we disclosed

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that for so many days,
we were not using any fossil fuels

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in order to generate
all our electricity.

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The news went viral around the world.

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Also, and this makes me extremely proud,

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a Costa Rican woman,
Christiana Figueres,

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played a decisive role in the negotiations
of the Paris climate agreement.

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So we have to protect that legacy
and be an example.

NOTE Paragraph

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So what comes next?

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The people.

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How do we get people to own this?

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How do we get people

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to believe that it's possible

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to build a society without fossil fuels?

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A lot of work from
the ground up is needed.

NOTE Paragraph

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That is why, in 2014,
we created Costa Rica Limpia

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Limpia means "clean,"

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because we want to empower
and we want to inspire citizens.

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If citizens don't get engaged,

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clean transportation decisions
will be bogged down by endless,

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and I mean endless,
technical discussions,

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and by avalanches of lobbying
by various established interests.

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One thing to be a green country
powered by renewables

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is already part of our story.

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We should not let anybody
take that away from us.

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Last year, we brought people
from our seven provinces

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to talk about climate change
in terms that matter to them,

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and we also brought this year

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another group of Costa Ricans

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to talk about renewable energy.

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And you know what?

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These people disagree on almost everything

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except on renewable energy

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and clean transportation and clean air.

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It brings people together,

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and their key to real participation

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is to help people not to feel small.

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People feel powerless,

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and they are tired of not being heard.

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So what we do is concrete things,

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and we translate technical issues
into citizen language

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to show that citizens have a role to play
and can play it together.

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For the first time, we're tracking
the promises that were made

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on clean transportation,

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and politicos know that they have
to deliver it,

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but the tipping point will come
when we form coalitions --

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citizens, companies,

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champions of public transportation --

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that will make electric mobility
the new normal,

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especially in a developing country.

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By the time the next election comes,

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I believe every candidate
will have to disclose where they stand

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on the abolition of fossil fuels.

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Because this question
has to enter our mainstream politics.

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And I'm telling you, this is not
a question of climate policy

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or environmental agenda.

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It's about the country that we want

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and the cities that we have

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and the cities that we want

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and who makes that choice.

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Because at the end of the day,

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what we have to show

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is that development
with renewable energy

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is good for the people,

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for Costa Ricans that are alive today

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and especially for those
who haven't been born.

NOTE Paragraph

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This is our National Museum today.

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It's bright and peaceful,

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and when you stand up in front of it,

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it's really hard to believe
these were military barracks

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at the end of the '40s.

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We started a new life
without an army in this place,

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and here is where our abolition

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of fossil fuels will be announced one day,

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and we will make history again.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)