Climate Change and COP26 as seen from Bhutan
With the opening of the COP26 climate conference on 31 October 2021, we are privileged to share this article from Bhagat Pokhrel on Climate Change and COP26 as seen from Bhutan. As Bhagat Pokhrel explains, Bhutan is a carbon negative country, and measures its wellbeing by reference to Gross National Happiness. Its constitution preserves 60% of its land under forest cover “for all times to come” It limits chemicals and fertilisers to promote organic farming. Clearly an astonishing country with so much to teach the rest of us.
And yet as the article sets out, Bhutan is affected by Glacial Lake Outburst Flooding caused by higher temperatures and glacier melt, the same issue that we wrote about in our article about the landmark climate case brought by the Peruvian farmer and mountain guide from Huaraz, Saul Luciano Lliuya, against RWE. And once this flooding has done its damage in the Himalayas, where will the millions dependent on the rivers that rise in the mountains get their water? This article is further evidence of the geographical reach of climate change, and the urgency of the task for COP26 delegates.
Kuzu Zangpo and Hello to everyone.
I am Bhagat Pokhrel from the Kingdom of Bhutan. I graduated with B.Sc. Honours in Environmental Science in 2020. Frankly speaking, I always wanted to be a doctor but when I saw the waste issues in my school, it was during that time that I realized I was not supposed to become a doctor. Trust me, I come from a country that values Gross National Happiness more than the Gross National Product. The Kingdom was and is ruled by very dynamic and visionary Kings. A country that sequesters more carbon than we produce, in practice, we are a ‘carbon negative country’.
Participation in MOCK COP26
When I had just graduated from my college, I received a message to participate in MOCK COP26 (the youth-led replacement when COP26 was originally postponed in November 2020). I had no idea what agendas would be discussed, but I wanted to join and learn about climate change from people around the world. So I joined the MOCK COP26 as a delegate from Bhutan, along with one of my friends. I must speak the truth; I had no real idea of the impacts of climate change around the world other than the knowledge from the books and papers. I felt as though I experienced the real-life scenario of climate change when youth around the world shared stories about the situations in their countries.
The YouTube videos from the delegates around the world were very informative, and emotional to watch. MOCK COP26 was a real platform to learn and discuss climate change issues around the world. Discussing the policies and recommendations was another interesting part I found during the online discussions. It was sad to learn that many of the countries in the world still do not have environmental and climate education, and no public participation in environmental decision-making. During MOCK COP26, we exchanged lots of policies and plans to tackle climate issues in our respective countries and the world.
Bhutan and environmental protection
If I talk about the livelihood of the people in Bhutan, according to National Statistics Bureau more than 60 percent of the Bhutanese live in rural areas. They practice farming for their livelihood, but some do run businesses for a living. Many of the rural people in southern and central Bhutan cultivate paddy, potatoes, chili, maize, fruits, and other vegetables. Most people in northern Bhutan raise yaks and sheep to make their living.
Bhutan has very strong environmental protection written into its constitution and laws. And Conservation of the Environment is one of the four pillars of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness philosophy.
When we talk about environment protection and management, Bhutan is guided by its constitution and other Acts and Regulations to protect its pristine environment.
It is also true that our constitution has the mandate to keep 60 percent of the country under forest cover. According to Article 5, Section 3 of the Constitution of Bhutan -
“Bhutan should preserve 60 percent of its land under forest cover for all times to come.”
Bhutan has succeeded in doing so as more than 51% of the country is under protected areas—the largest percentage of any Asian country. Currently, more than 72 percent of our country is under forest cover and has rich forest diversity. Tseri (slash and burn cultivation) cultivation was banned through the directives of the 72nd session of the National Assembly, and people were encouraged to convert tseri to other forms of land use.
The government also accords high priority to rural electrification, to improve the quality of life and stimulate socio-economic development in rural areas. Ultimately, electrification of the rural communities will save great amounts of fuelwood. The Bhutan Forest Act, 1969, was repealed in 1995, with the enactment of the Forest and Nature Conservation Act, 1995 (FNCA) in keeping with evolving conservation needs, and to allow for community stewardship of forest resources. This Act is geared towards achieving the government’s policy of maintaining 60% forest cover.
Bhutan, a ‘carbon negative’ country
My country is carbon negative. While many nations are struggling to reduce their carbon emissions, the Kingdom of Bhutan is already carbon negative: it takes more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere than it emits. I believe that Bhutan could achieve these aims and can maintain being carbon negative for time to come, as we opted to measure progress not through its Gross Domestic Product, but through "Gross National Happiness," which places great emphasis on the protection of the country's rich natural environment. Legal protection plays an important role in conservation, but other factors such as the Buddhist philosophy of living in harmony with nature, community stewardship of forest resources, and prioritizing rural electrification have also contributed to Bhutan remaining carbon negative. Bhutan produces so much hydroelectricity that it sells it to neighboring countries, which Bhutan claims offsets another 4.4 million tons of annual CO2 emissions. And yes, I should say that the laws and regulations do have enough support from the people of Bhutan.
Organic farming and pesticides use in Bhutan
On organic farming in Bhutan, the government presented the National Framework for Organic Farming in Bhutan in 2007. Based on this framework, the National Organic Programme, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, has developed and promoted organic farming to produce safe and healthy food for local consumers as well as for other markets. And being organic means reducing or stopping the use of chemicals and pesticides. In Bhutan, the use of pesticides and chemicals fertilizers is regulated by the Pesticides Act of Bhutan 2000 and other biodiversity regulations. Moreover, it is the great and visionary leaders who initiated such novel ideas, and the people who supported it with all their hearts.
Effects of glacier melting and climate change in Bhutan
The people of Bhutan are aware of the importance of glaciers, ice, and rivers, and streams, as we value these from both the religious perspective as well as in terms of scientific needs. Some rivers and lakes are considered sacred places of deities. Mountain caps are protected from hikers and climbers. These beliefs have kept many water bodies and mountains filled with ice and glaciers out range of human activities which helped them remain clean and pristine. However, with climate change, there is unusual melting of glaciers and ice, which leads to the Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) harming and damaging lives and properties downstream. Moreover, most rivers in Bhutan source their water from glaciers and glacial lakes high up the Himalayas and may have a high risk of being affected by climate change.
More than 95% of Bhutan’s electricity comes from hydropower. This is one form of clean energy that has allowed Bhutan to achieve this status of being carbon negative. Hydropower is also the country’s major export and main economic driver. Free electricity is provided to rural farmers, which also prevents the need to use wood and gasoline for fuel. Bhutan has had a 99% electricity rate since 2017, which is a big jump from 61% in 2006. More than 95% of Bhutan’s electricity comes from hydropower.
As climate change is a global issue, there is no way that we are exempted from its impacts. We can see these impacts from frequently happening of ‘GLOF’ events, changes in rainfall patterns, and damage to crops due to sudden changes in weather which have not been seen much in past decades.
Bhutan’s development is highly dependent on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, hydropower, and forestry. The most significant impact of climate change in Bhutan is the formation of supra-glacial lakes due to the accelerated retreat of glaciers with increasing temperatures. The risk of potential disasters inflicted by Glacial Lakes Outburst Floods (GLOFs), which pose new threats to lives, livelihoods, and development, is mounting as the water levels in several glacier lakes approach critical geostatic thresholds.
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) other possible impacts could include crop yield instability, loss of production and quality (due to variable rainfall, temperature, etc.), decreased water availability for crop production, crop yield loss (flowers & fruit drop) due to hailstorms; deteriorating produce quality (fruit & vegetables) due to unanticipated heavy rains and hailstorms, and delayed sowing (late rainfall), as well as damage to paddy and potato crops, due to sudden early and late spring frost respectively.
Bhutan and the Paris Agreement targets
My understanding about the difference in possible effects from temperature increases of 1.5°C, 2°C, or higher is that with a 1.5°C increase, extremely hot days in the mid-latitudes will be 3°C hotter than pre-industrial levels. With a 2°C increase, extremely hot days in the mid-latitudes will be about 4°C hotter than pre-industrial levels. A study on extreme heat published around the same time as the U.N. report projected that about 14% of the world’s population would be exposed to extreme heat waves once every five years if global temperature increases are held to 1.5°C. That percentage would jump up to 37% with a rise of 2°C.[1]
Impacts of other countries’ fossil fuel use
India and China are the largest countries in the world and the closest neighbours of Bhutan. They are also the largest producers and consumers of coal and non-renewable energy. However, both China and India are switching towards cleaner forms of energy. India is framing policies to promote the use of clean fuels, including electric vehicles (EVs), and tightening emission norms to meet its carbon reduction targets. China's national plan calls for further raising the country's total installed capacity of wind and solar power to over 1200 GW by 2030. We know both the countries are on their way to achieve 100% clean energy, but still they top the list in use of coal. My only request to our big brothers is to minimize the use of non-renewable energy and rapidly switch to cleaner form of energy.
Key aims for COP26 as seen from Bhutan
The key issues that need to be addressed in COP26 in the context of Bhutan are: we want the world to switch to cleaner forms of energy rapidly, clean production, focus should be given to Least Developed Countries, climate change should be taken more seriously by big nations, and more funds should be diverted to fighting climate change.
My hope for the COP26 conference is that every aspect of the agenda related to addressing climate change urgently gets through, and may the earth be safe in days to come.
Our earlier article on the Peruvian farmer and a climate case of worldwide importance is here -
https://www.cop26andbeyond.com/blog/the-peruvian-farmer
[1] See table of expected increased extreme weather events with rising temperatures referred to by Professor Piers Forster, IPCC lead author, UK Climate Change Committee, Priestley Centre, Leeds University in September 2021 article for CCC