ABSTRACT
Costa Rica and Vietnam are two countries that are considered as pioneers in driving forward green transformations in the Global South. They are two countries with similar aims, yet very different political systems (democratic vs socialist). Costa Rica’s government pledged carbon neutrality by 2021, a pledge it later changed to decarbonization by 2050. Already today, 98% of the country’s electricity comes from renewable energy, most importantly hydropower, but also wind, solar and geothermal energy. Vietnam on the other hand has a National Green Growth Strategy that aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting renewable energy, increasing energy efficiency and introducing carbon trading. Just under 40% of the countries’ electricity comes from hydropower, the remaining share is from fossil fuels. Both countries market themselves as pioneers in green transformations, mainly driven by domestic reasons, yet the actual implementation of these goals is not easy. This chapter comparatively evaluates the strategies and motives of green transformations for energy-related industries in Vietnam and Costa Rica, analyses what role their different political systems play in relation to climate governance, what progress has been made and what the barriers are. Finally, the chapter discusses what other countries can learn from these pioneers in green transformations.
