Carlos Manuel Rodríguez was born into a middle-class family in San José, Costa Rica, which was deeply connected to nature and the environment. He grew up surrounded by nature since he fondly remembered in an interview how he used to go every summer to his grandfather’s coffee farm in Orosi, Costa Rica, which happened to be right next to the Tapanti National Park and the Gran Talamanca forests, he added that ‘spending so much time in nature had a great influence’.
Besides this, Rodríguez adds that his mom had a great affliction for plants and his grandfather was a plant and bird collectionist and in the house where he grew up they had 11 fish tanks and 8 parrots; all of this gave him ‘that sensibility’, which as he explains cultivated his love for the environment. He spent his teen years reading about the efforts of Costa Rican conservationists to preserve and save the forest, which heavily influenced his commitment to taking care of the environment.
He first began to develop an awareness of deforestation when he was 12 years old in 1972, the height of deforestation when he started ‘to pay more attention to the change of landscapes and geography.’ At this time, he realised that ‘forest conservation was an unproductive activity’ because all the economic, agricultural, land-use policies and laws were stimulating deforestation. He then highlights that ‘I remember deforestation, I remember the dry season, the forest fires everywhere in Costa Rica’.
He recalled being very interested in biology and natural history throughout high school. When choosing a career, he needed to decide about studying law or biology. At that age, he already knew he wanted to change the climate policy of his country, but he was not sure how; therefore, he went to his father, a renowned lawyer, for advice. His father emphasised that understanding the rules of the game laws will enable Rodríguez to tackle problems within the country’s legal framework more efficiently. This conversation marked a turning point for Rodríguez, directing him toward a law career.
Motivated by his father’s insights, Rodríguez obtained his law degree from the University of Costa Rica in 1986. During his university days, he referred to himself as an ‘unconventional student’because he spent much of his time with biology students and was eventually closer to them than his law peers. During most weekends and vacations, he immersed himself in national parks to continue connecting with the Costa Rica Forest where he grew up. Therefore, his graduation thesis was ‘Graduation thesis “A New Wildlife Law for Costa Rica.
After obtaining his degree, he worked as an associate at Lara, Lopez, Matamoros, Rodríguez, and Tinoco Law Firm from 1982 to 1998, specialising in Environmental Law.During this time, he also served as a legal assistant at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Dallas, Texas, and provided legal advice to several conservation organisations.
Rodríguez’s early career also saw him and his friends forming a watchdog organisation to combat logging companies, eventually leading to their political involvement. They initially considered creating a Green party but chose instead to work within Costa Rica’s traditional political parties. This strategic choice allowed them to influence environmental policies within the existing political structure.They believed working from the inside out is more effective in bringing change.
After finishing his undergraduate studies, he pursued a master’s in Environmental Law at Southern Methodist University in Texas in 1988, and his graduation thesis was ‘“Forest Conservation and Economic Growth’. He said it changed his life because, upon his return to Costa Rica at the end of the 1980s, he was the only environmental lawyer there, which allowed him to collaborate with biologists, conservationists, and various environmental organisations, including the Ministry of Environment and the National Institute of Biodiversity. From 1987 to 1988, he worked as a legal assistant in the Legal Department of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Dallas, Texas.
After that, he focused on politics and worked with Congress to pass laws to protect biodiversity; his legal background gave him the tools to advocate for new policies, such as the payment for environmental services model. This model incentivised landowners to maintain and restore forest cover, demonstrating Rodríguez’s ability to leverage legal mechanisms to promote ecological sustainability.
He started his career with his first job in 1995 as director of the National Park Service and head of protected areas, a role which lasted until 1998; he recalls that the moments working here were the happiest of his career since he helped create a myriad of institutions, policies, NGOs, a system for protected areas and biological corridors. It was in this period that he reflected, ‘I was part of the movement that did major changes that today makes Costa Rica quite different, a period where the number of forests doubled’During this time, he was also the head of Costa Rica’s delegation to the Biodiversity Convention and the Conference of Climate Change.
Rodríguez started his governmental career in 1995 as the Vice Minister and later Minister of Environment and Energy (MINAE) until 1998, under the administration of José María Figueres Olsen of the Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN). His tenure ended due to the political transition when Miguel Ángel Rodríguez of the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) took office. He then worked with the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza as Subdirector from 2000 to 2002.
Rodríguez returned to government service from 2002 to 2006 as Minister of Environment and Energy under President Abel Pacheco (PUSC). During this period, he continued to advocate for environmental policies and worked on strengthening the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC). After Pacheco’s term, Rodríguez left the government again due to another political transition. In 2005, he founded the Coalition of Rainforest Nations to Avoid Deforestation, a significant initiative that contributed to the development of the REDD (Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) concept.
Between 2006 and 2018, Rodríguez served as Vice President at Conservation International, where he played a pivotal role in promoting global conservation initiatives and environmental sustainability. His extensive work with this NGO allowed him to influence international environmental policies and collaborate with various countries on conservation projects.
Rodríguez returned to government from 2018 to 2020, serving as Minister of Environment and Energy under President Carlos Alvarado Quesada of the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC). During this tenure, he was instrumental in advancing Costa Rica’s decarbonisation strategy and reinforcing the country’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
Reflecting on Costa Rica’s progress, Rodríguez emphasised the leap forward in human development between his grandfather’s and father’s generations. He noted how Costa Rica committed significant resources to education and healthcare, rooted in solid principles of liberty, democracy, and human rights. This transformation was marked by the civil rights reforms in the 1940s, the establishment of the higher education system, and the creation of a robust social care and health system. Notably, Costa Rica abolished its army in 1949, reallocating those resources to education and healthcare, which led to substantial improvements in human development.
This cultural and political context enabled his generation to build on the pioneering work of early conservationists. Rodríguez also acknowledged that Costa Rican culture, characterised by a preference for consensus and avoidance of conflict, has facilitated adequate progress in various sectors, including education, health, and environmental policy. This culture of seeking common ground and avoiding confrontation has been crucial in implementing and advancing conservation efforts in the country.
This defining moment, catalysed by his father’s advice, shaped Rodríguez’s career and profoundly impacted Costa Rica’s environmental policies. His work helped transform the country into a global leader in conservation, with lasting effects on national and international environmental efforts. Rodríguez’s strategic career choices and the profound influence of mentorship in achieving significant long-term changes.
To further emphasise the impact that his father’s career advice had on Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, in an interview with the Global Environment Facility (which he is now the CEO and chairperson of), he stated that the most important thing he had learned was that ‘you don’t need to be a biologist to save the nature and to save the planet’. This is important because it means he did not regret his career choice since studying law enabled him to be a pioneer of environment conservation without explicitly knowing the biological technicalities.
IExRAIA Summer Research Program:
This article is an excerpt from a report about Carlos Manuel Rodriguez produced as part of an RAIA research program on climate leaders. For a full picture of Rodriguez’s climate leadership, read the full report. This project was fully financed by IE University’s IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs.
Authors: Francisco Jeldres and Valeria Flores
Editor: Francia Morales
Project Lead: Francia Morales
