    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [May 9, 1997]
    [Pages 582-584]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica
    May 9, 1997

        Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. President, for delivering on the
    rainforest. [Laughter] You know, in my part of the United States, the
    children are raised with an old proverb that has come true today. The
    proverb is, you must be very careful what you ask for in life because
    you might get it. [Laughter]
        Well, Dr. Macaya, to Joaquin Viquez--didn't that young man do a
    great job? You should be very proud of him. He was terrific. [Applause]
    Thank you.
        To all of those who have spoken before and who have come here, and
    let me thank the members of my Cabinet and administration who are here,
    and also the members of the National Park Service. Hillary and I try to
    make sure we're at at least one of our national parks every year. And I
    think it's fair to say that they are the most popular public servants in
    the United States, so it's nice to see them--in the case of Mr. Findley,
    someplace besides Yellowstone. I'm glad you're all here. Thank you all
    very much for what you do.
        Most of what needs to be said has been said. I come here to
    emphasize the importance of the forest that surrounds us to the chain of
    life, not only in Costa Rica and Central America but to all the world.
    We know that the rainforests of the world provide us with a good deal of
    our oxygen and enormous resources coming out of the plant and animal
    life they contain. We know that the forest helps us to keep our climate
    stable, to preserve our soils, to protect our rivers. It nurtures plants
    that provide food and clothing and furniture and medicine. And from the
    stunning quetzal bird to the stealthy jaguar, we know that the marvelous
    animals must be preserved for all to see.
        There is a new understanding today in the world between the bonds
    that connect human beings and their natural environment. We know we have
    to preserve them, and we know that in the end economic development
    itself cannot occur unless the environment is preserved. That is the
    lesson of the Rio Earth Summit 5 years ago, the driving force behind the
    CONCAUSA Alliance between the United States and Central America that
    President Figueres discussed, and also the driving notion behind the way
    we want to integrate this hemisphere--not just in trade and economics
    but also in education and health and, finally, in common cause to
    sustaining the treasures we see around us here today.

    [[Page 583]]

        Costa Rica is showing the way. You heard, President Figueres says
    that now more than one-quarter of its land is being protected. The
    unique natural resources are generating jobs and income. Just before I
    came up here, Secretary Babbitt gave me the figures on Costa Rica's
    tourism income because of the commitment the people of this country have
    made to preserving and protecting the natural environment. We now know
    we have to do this not only in our hemisphere but around the world.
        You know, the examples that the President cited I thought were quite
    important. We are pursuing ways to reduce greenhouse gases. There is
    some doubt about exactly what increased greenhouse gas emissions are
    doing to the climate, but no one doubts that they're changing the
    climate, and no one doubts that the potential consequences can be very
    profound and severe.
        Almost 3 years ago, the Vice President of the United States, Al
    Gore, and President Figueres signed an agreement that will help United
    States companies to cut greenhouse gas emissions by investing in
    environmental projects in Costa Rica. Today, there are more than a dozen
    of these joint projects all across Central America, promoting solar
    energy in Honduras, geothermal energy in Nicaragua, forest management in
    Belize. Now the carbon certificates created by the Government of Costa
    Rica and the United States companies will provide a new way to finance
    these investments. Proceeds will go to clean powerplants, protecting or
    planting forests, launching other programs that pay environmental
    dividends. This is a long way from the philosophy which prevailed in
    this country, in our country, and indeed throughout the developed and
    the developing world just a few years ago.
        From electric buses, which the President pointed out, to wind-driven
    power plants, Costa Rica's ambitious plans prove that we can have clean
    air and renewable energy in ways that create jobs here and in our
    country. That bus, I believe, was made in the Vice President's home
    State of Tennessee. And he asked me to say he appreciates it. [Laughter]
        Third, let me say a special word of appreciation for something the
    President mentioned, and that is the work that is being done with the
    rainforest and with the space program by Dr. Franklin Cheng Diaz to deal
    with Chagas disease, which kills 20,000 people in Latin America every
    year. The idea of combining what we know about space and what we find in
    the rainforest to make people have better and healthier lives is another
    stunning reminder that we destroy these resources at our peril.
        Last, let me say, we're finding new ways to preserve our natural
    heritage. Once, our National Park Service worked with Costa Rica to help
    to set up your incredible network of parks. Now the Costa Rican Park
    Service is returning the favor by helping us to use your computer
    software in ways that will enable our park rangers at Yellowstone, which
    is the shining diamond of our park system, to catalog and preserve its
    natural wonders.
        Soon after we complete this moment, Secretary Babbitt and Minister
    Castro will sign an agreement strengthening our cooperation for the next
    century. We're also working together to help other countries take better
    care of their wildlife, train professionals to manage fisheries in
    Argentina, run national parks in Paraguay, teach conservation in
    Guatemala. Now we have to work across national lines to protect the
    habitat of the songbirds, the sea turtles, the other creatures that
    migrate between our shores, and to stop the illegal and deadly trade in
    endangered species.
        Yesterday in San Jose, President Figueres, our fellow leaders, and I
    pledged to make sustainable development a cornerstone of our relations.
    It will be part of the 1998 Summit of the Americas in Santiago and,
    eventually, the foundation of a larger global effort.
        We must ban leaded gasoline everywhere, not just in Costa Rica, and
    control pesticides in our hemisphere, and reach a global agreement to
    phase out the most dangerous toxic chemicals. We have to protect our own
    forests and work with the United Nations to develop a strategy for the
    sustainable management of others around the world. And we must meet the
    challenge of climate change, regionally and beyond our hemisphere.
        Together, we can make this a very historic year, Mr. President. As
    you know, the United Nations is having a special session next month on
    the environment. I am pleased to be leading America's delegation to the
    U.N. I hope many other world leaders will be there. Together, we need to
    reaffirm the spirit of Rio and lay out the concrete steps we're going to
    take to move ahead to make the preservation of the global

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    environment and sustainable development the policy of every nation on
    Earth.
        We are seeking to build a world where people live in the 21st
    century in harmony, not at war with each other; when they recognize that
    they have more in common than what divides them; when they no longer
    seek to elevate themselves by demeaning other people. That kind of world
    will only occur if we are also generous, wise, and good to our natural
    environment, and where we do not expect today's growth to threaten
    tomorrow's survival. That is my commitment. That is Costa Rica's
    commitment. Let us make sure we realize it.
        Thank you, and God bless you all.
        Before the paper is too wet, we have to ask Secretary Pena,
    Secretary Babbitt, and Minister Castro to come sign our agreements on
    electric transport and parks on behalf of our two nations. And we hope
    that the pens still work. [Laughter]

    Note: The President spoke at 11:07 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Dr. Gabriel Macaya, rector, University of Costa Rica; Mike Findley,
    superintendent, Yellowstone National Park; student Joaquin Viquez, who
    introduced the President; Dr. Franklin Cheng Diaz, director, Laboratorio
    de Propulsion Avanzada Especial de la NASA; and Costa Rican Minister of
    Natural Resources, Energy, and Mines Rene Castro.