Bhutan isn't just carbon-neutral ... It's the world’s first carbon-negative country

The small nation is hailed as one of the greenest countries on Earth

The small nation is hailed as one of the greenest countries on Earth

The Kingdom of Bhutan, located within the Himalayas between India and China, is already suffering from the effects of global warming. That is the reason why this tiny country of about 750,000 people, decided to take action and actually managed to set some very impressive environmental benchmarks.

To begin with, it is the first and only country to officially be carbon negative, meaning that its carbon sinks (ex. forests), absorb more carbon dioxide each year than it is emitted by sources of pollution. The figures show that around 1.5 million tonnes of carbon are emitted annually, while over 6 million tonnes are absorbed by the forests. That’s because the country is currently 72% forested and under a constitutional amendment of 2009, this percentage should not fall below 60% while export logging has also been prohibited. Vijay Moktan, Conservation Director of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), 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.”

In order to ensure the country stayed carbon neutral, a series of policies have been introduced. The prioritization of hydroelectric power generation by Bhutan’s many rivers over fossil fuels, the provision of free electricity to rural farmers to lessen their dependence on wood stoves for cooking, and the government’s partnership with Nissan to provide electric cars to the country, aiming to eventually convert all of the country's vehicles to electric power, are only some of them. The country is also aiming to grow 100% organic food by 2020, to produce zero waste by 2030 and to increase its share of renewables, particularly wind and solar. In comparison, many other small countries have not even achieved carbon neutral status yet.

Since 1972, Bhutan has based their political decisions on a Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, rather than the typically used Gross Domestic Product (GDP). All government policies are vetted according to GNH, and what the Bhutanese call the four pillars: good governance, sustainable promotion of socioeconomic development, preservation of culture and environmental conservation. A 2015 survey found 91% of Bhutanese people were narrowly, extensively or deeply happy.

Source: Climate Action