Costa Rica’s fuel subsidies are funding widespread poaching and overfishing in supposedly protected waters.By Johnny SturgeonIn April 2022, a blue and white fishing boat sliced through the protected waters surrounding Costa Rica’s Isla San José at high speed. Its 75-horsepower engine churned the turquoise surface of the Guanacaste Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site teeming with manta rays and bottlenose dolphins.
Observations from the Little Bunker
Last updated: December 14, 2025 10:09 PM
Atmospheric CO₂
427.2 ppm
+17.7
ppm/year
Atmospheric CH₄
1930.95 ppb
+-3.5
ppb/year
Global Temperature
+1.48 °C
Peak: +1.73°C
World Population
8.1 billion
+67
million/year