The world's most unlikely climate heroes-The biodiversity hotspot
Bhutan is a landlocked country bordering China and India They value economic development without compromising their cultural preservation, environmental sustainability and social development. In Bhutan Gross national happiness(GNH) is more important than gross national production.
" The Royal Government shall:
(a) Protect, conserve and improve the pristine environment and safeguard the biodiversity of the country;
(b) Prevent pollution and ecological degradation;
(c) Secure ecologically balanced sustainable development while promoting justifiable economic and social development; and
(d) Ensure a safe and healthy environment.The Government shall ensure that, in order to conserve the country's natural resources and to prevent degradation of the fragile mountain ecosystem, a minimum of sixty percent of Bhutan's total land shall be maintained under forest cover for all time." Article 5 Section 2 & 3 Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan. As per now they have 72% forest cover. Bhutan through their leadership renewed their commitment to remain carbon neutral in Paris during COP 21 (December 2015) after they were unheard in 2009 during COP 15 when governments were blaming each other for causing climate change
They have been affected but climate change yet they haven't contributed to global warming therefore there is need for everyone to keep the commitments they make so that we can fight climate change
How do they manage to remain carbon neutral?
1. They provide free electricity to the rural farmers so that the farmers will no longer have to use firewood in cooking
2. They have invested on sustainable transport
3. They have national programmes such as green Bhutan that plant trees and clean Bhutan cleaning their country
4. Protected areas act as carbon sinks and they have connected them with one another through biological corridors where animals move freely in the country
Resources are set aside every year to prevent poaching, mining, hunting and pollution in the parks and resources for the communities living in the parks to manage the forests,adapt to climate change and live better lives in harmony with mother nature.
We all need to mobilize our leadership, resources, influence and passion to replicate the BHUTAN FOR LIFE (4) idea to conserve the environment in the entire world.
We will dream together, work together, fight climate change together,to protect the planet together because we are all in this crisis together
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