A POSITION PAPER ABOUT THE COUNTRY “BHUTAN”

Submitted by: HENNESSY D. MUGA, JD-2

The tiny Kingdom of Bhutan, at the eastern end of the Himalayas, nestles between
the giant nation states of China and India. It is a landlocked country in South Asia at the
eastern end of the Himalayas. In the north it borders China and in the south, east and
west, India. It is separated from Nepal by Sikkim.

Often called the "Land of the Thunder Dragon," it remained secluded until recent
times—the first ever "tourist" set foot in Bhutan in 1974 and was followed by the
introduction of television and new technology at the turn of the 21st century. In 2008,
Bhutan became the world's youngest democracy, moving from an absolute to a
constitutional monarchy in a historic change initiated by the revered and much-loved
Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. It is determined to maintain its Buddhist culture
and way of life as it evolves and adapts to political change and economic challenges.
This country is considered the happiest country in the world and measures its economic
success based on a “Gross National Happiness” (GNH) index. Its unique development
policy of GNH index which measures progress not through material gain but on a
happiness scale, is generating global interest. They do not go by economic growth like
other countries do. The abundant hospitality of the Bhutanese, the variety of Bhutan's
ancient monasteries and colorful festivals, and its near-perfect ecosystem and natural
beauty never fail to reward the traveler

A sovereign country throughout the ages, Bhutan is now establishing its place on
the world stage and demonstrating leadership on climate and environmental issues.
Three quarters of its land is covered by forests, and the country absorbs four times
more carbon than it produces. This is the only carbon negative country in the world.
How did they achieve this? In 2016, they became the world’s first country to become
carbon neutral. What does that mean? As you know, carbon dioxide is the leading
greenhouse gases produced by humans that has contributed to climate change. Most
countries produce more carbon dioxide than they can absorb. So, the gases that are not
absorbed makes its way into the atmosphere. Bhutan on the other hand, has a tree
cover that covers 72 per cent of the country. It absorbs over six million tons of carbon
annually, while producing only 1.5 million tons.

How did they manage this? The Constitution of the country was amended to include
that forested areas should not drop below 60 per cent. A ban was put on export logging.
Early on, Bhutan realized that the condition of the environment would be the focal point
in human happiness. So, environmental protection became the priority in Bhutan’s
political agenda.

At the sectoral level, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forest is promoting schemes to
reduce wildlife damage affecting poor families and is putting in place the valuation of
ecosystem services such as watershed protection, ecotourism; the Education Ministry is
promoting green jobs through non-formal education systems, while the infrastructure
sector is promoting climate resilient environmentally friendly road constructions. The
Public Environmental Expenditure Review process and findings have influenced the
government’s interest to increase state revenues from natural resources and to initiate a
green economy process. Sound research has been developed in areas such as energy
efficient transportation.

They followed a simple option — stopped destroying their environment and

started to protect it.