There’s a small landlocked country, high up in South Asia’s Eastern Himalayas, that’s carbon negative. It’s the only carbon-negative country in the world, taking in more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it emits. This lovely green country that spans 14,824 square miles is called the Kingdom of Bhutan. Its population is about 800,000, limiting its influx of tourists to a certain number of people per day. There are other carbon-neutral countries worldwide, but Bhutan is the only carbon-negative one.
Most of Bhutan is covered in dense forests. About 72% of the country is woodlands that act as a natural carbon sink, absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide. This is how the country is carbon negative; that and the fact that it’s relatively underdeveloped. Most citizens work in forestry or agriculture, so the country emits less than 2.5 million tons of CO2 yearly. Luxembourg is about the same size and with a smaller population, but it emits four times as much!
And while it’s sandwiched between China and India, two massively industrialized economies, Bhutan doesn’t strive to match its neighbors’ economic weight. Instead, it values its culture, people, and environment above all.
Matt Finch, an analyst at the UK-based Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, told CNN:
“Bhutan (could have said) ‘we want to be more connected to our neighbors, we want more industrialization, we want more economic development … but they didn’t. Leadership is all about deciding what to do and doing it, and the leadership of Bhutan has decided they’re going to remain carbon negative … and they’re sticking to their guns.”
The Bhutanese government measures success by the degree of happiness instead of economic development. It has done so for the past 46 years. It uses a self-developed system called the Gross National Happiness (GNP) index to measure happiness and strives to make itself the happiest place globally. The GNP emphasizes environmental protection, sustainable development, cultural preservation, and good governance.
Vijay Moktan, Conservation Director of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Bhutan, said:
“It was easier for us than say India or China because we have only 20 people per sq. km. We have also had political commitment…In the 2000s, pressure began to build on the forests. There was a lot of demand for timber. So, when Bhutan became a democracy in 2008, a mandatory 60% forest cover was introduced in the constitution. We now have 70% cover.”
Since 2009, the constitution has enshrined environmental protection, stating that at least 60% of Bhutan’s total land must remain under forest cover for all time.
Even before this, in 1999, the country banned logging exports. Plus, all forests are protected against mining, pollution, poaching, and hunting. All protected reserves are linked with biological corridors so animals can move from one zone to the other freely and without human interaction.
Juergen Nagler of the UN Development Program in Bhutan said:
“Bhutan is the only country in the world that by its constitution protects its forests.
Remaining carbon negative is of utmost importance to the Bhutanese as they have a very high environmental awareness and appreciate harmony with the natural environment.”
Nagler says that the government has plans to make the country’s agriculture 100% organic this decade and waste-free by 2030.
And while projections show Bhutan’s emissions could double by 2040, it will remain carbon negative so long as it maintains (at least) its current forest cover.
That’s not all. The government generates clean hydroelectric power using its many rivers and distributes it free of charge to its citizens to prevent them from burning firewood. It also subsidizes eco-friendly products such as LEDs and electric vehicles.
Nagler said:
“Climate change is human-made – we caused the problems; we can also create the solutions. And the solutions are there if we can muster the willingness. In Bhutan, the willingness comes from its wisdom and enlightened leadership.”
Worldwide, most countries set visions for economic development and prosperity. Meanwhile, Bhutan aims to reduce its carbon emissions to zero while increasing its carbon consumption to ten million tons by the decade’s end.
Every country in the world should strive to be more like Bhutan.
