WRITING HISTORIES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Bhutan is a small country of 779,000 people located in South Asia (Data Catalog 2012). Bordering India and China, Bhutan's political, social, and environmental landscape differs greatly from its powerful neighbors. One major operational difference is the way Bhutan has navigated its environmental policies. It is the only country in the world that has a carbon negative footprint. This is achieved through federal laws which protect 70% of Bhutan's forests (Tibet TV 2021), allowing its trees to absorb more carbon dioxide than the country produces. Although the Bhutanese government was able to prevent catastrophic climate destruction through its stringent and precautionary environmental regulations thus far,  it is now at the cusp of a watershed as it faces a similar difficult decision that modernized, capitalist countries encountered earlier in history — if and how to ramp up economic growth via industrialization. Only this time around, Bhutan will be actively forced to choose between the health of its citizens and environment, or economic prosperity.

Bhutan was able to commit to environmental preservation due to King Jigme Singye Wangchuk's aspirations in the 1970s. Ruling as Bhutan's fourth king from 1952 to 1972, Wangchuk established the concept of Gross National Happiness to promote his country's happiness over factors, like economic success, which other countries had prioritized (Rao 2016). Thinley Namgyel, the chief environment officer of the climate change division at Bhutan's National Environment Commission said Wangchuk was a "visionary" (Rao 2016). His policies were more of a precautionary measure, rather than an attempt to resolve historical environmental damage, unlike the post-industrial policies of most other countries.

Bhutan considers four main pillars when calculating GNH: equitable socio-economic development, environmental sustainability, cultural preservation and promotion and good governance (Schroeder and Schroeder 2014, 3523). The foundation of GNH is based on Mahayana, or Tibetan, Buddhism (Karan, n.d.). As a result, Bhutan has been able to utilize Buddhist values such as protecting nature and rejecting materialism to protect its natural habitat, in a way that European nations have not been able to. In Happy Environments: Bhutan, Interdependence and the West, Randy and Kent Schroedor assert that the idea of happiness is actually a "paradox" for Western nations that dismiss it as "vague, utopian and quaint" (Schroeder and Schroeder 2014, 3523). In fact, they argue that Bhutan's environmental policies are "not an impediment to economic growth; [they are] tightly and inherently integrated with it" (Schroeder and Schroeder 2014, 3523).

Then what factors contributed to Bhutan's success? First, its small population allowed the country to maneuver around obstacles like feeding millions of citizens or fighting rampant unemployment. Additionally, its homogeneity contributed to less social and political disagreements. There are three major ethnic groups in Bhutan: the Bhutia, Nepalese and Sharchop (Karan, n.d.). The Bhutia majority who originated from Tibet "dominate Bhutan's political life" (Karan, n.d.).  One-third of the population are recent Nepalese immigrants. And the Scharchop, the longest inhabitants of Bhutan, represent the minority population. 

King Wangchuk was able to standardize and prioritize happiness, because it looked similar for many of his citizens. Bhutanese people who grew up with similar lifestyles inherently had similar values of protecting the environment. A modern example is the government and people's mobilization to protect culturally significant monasteries from destruction, due to Bhutan's location near the seismic Himalayan belt. Earthquakes in 2009 and 2011 caused over $20 million of damages to Buddhist temples and fortresses (Garcia 2019, 39). However, the conglomeration of "administrative, religious and social" values within one structure highlighted the need for integration of Disaster Relief Management and cultural heritage conservation (Garcia 2019, 40).

Next, Bhutan's location was not only politically advantageous, but environmentally beneficial as well. Foreign countries financially supported Bhutan, and other Asian countries, via the 1951 Colombo Plan because of its location as a "buffer zone" between China and India (Hammerstad 1972). Naturally having beautiful landscapes, from subtropical plains to cool tundras (Karan, n.d.), Bhutan was able to utilize its isolated allure to maintain environmental integrity. For example, they use hydropower generated from its waterfalls and streams rather than fossil fuels (Rao 2016). In fact, they produce so much additional renewable energy that 70% is exported to India (Rao 2016). As visitors were drawn to Bhutan's beauty, its government placed strict regulations on tourism such as a $250 daily fee and mandatory state-appointed tour guide (Rao 2016), in addition to visa fees and restrictions for all travelers except for citizens from India, Bangladesh and the Maldives (Youn 2017).

All these factors led to Bhutan developing and modernizing relatively late in the game. It remained an absolute monarchy ruled by the dragon king (druk gyalpo) until the 1950s (Karan, n.d.). Thus Bhutan became a democratic, constitutional monarchy in 2008 when King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk handed over his power to a bicameral legislature (Karan, n.d.). Other late transitions are visible as well. For instance, Bhutan did not have an official currency until the 1960s, because people exchanged goods and services instead of money (Karan, n.d.). It only opened its doors to foreign visitors in 1974. Televisions were not allowed until 1999 (Youn 2017).

Recent developments have led to major socio-economic changes. They now have free education, free healthcare, and increasing infrastructure improvements. As a result, the rate of education and life expectancy increased, while infant mortality rates have decreased (Karan, n.d.). However, these steps into the future have led Bhutan to encounter a major complication. Its very demography and location which allowed Bhutan to protect its environment in the past, might be the catalyst for the impending environmental degradation in the near future. India and China's exorbitant pollution and emissions have leaked into Bhutan's environment, exacerbating climatic consequences. Additionally,  the "changing demographics'' (Rao 2016), specifically the modernization of its population, has changed demands and behaviors. Example include the increased demand for imported cars because of the lack of efficient public transportation.

How will Bhutan move forward? And is the historic protection of its environment sustainable? Although it will be challenging to prioritize the environment while modernizing as a population and economy, Bhutan's historical foundation of ecological preservation can help it prevail.  For example, it can increase the price tag of foreign tourism, investing the increased profit back into education and the job force. The government must focus on retaining its younger population through economically prosperous opportunities as Bhutan's culture and values can disappear with their exodus. The Bhutanese government can ally with its neighbors, through bilateral, harmonized governance efforts, to protect its incredibly important animals, forests and rivers. Additionally other nations like Tibet, despite being a much different political circumstance, can look to Bhutan for their own environmental preservation and regulation.

Bibliography

Data Catalog. 2012. "Losing Paradise." DataCommons.

Garcia, Barbara M. 2019. "Resilient cultural heritage: from global to national levels – the case of Bhutan." Emerald Insight 29, no. 1 (March): 36-46.

Hammerstad, Kristian. 1972. "Jigme Dorji Wangchult Is Dead; King of Tiny Himalayan Bhutan (Published 1972)." The New York Times. .

Karan, Pradyumna P. n.d. "Bhutan - Resources and power | Britannica." Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed December, 2022.

Rao, Kavitha. 2016. "How Bhutan became the world's greenest country." Mint.

Schroeder, Randy, and Kent Schroeder. 2014. "Happy Environments: Bhutan, Interdependence and the West." Sustainability 6, no. 6 (May): 3521-3533.

Tibet TV. Why Tibet should be on the global climate change and environment agenda? 2021. Tibet TV.

Tibet TV, dir. 2021. Significance of Tibet's Environment in this Fragile Planet.

Youn, Soo. 2017. "Bhutan Is the World's Only Carbon-Negative Country." National Geographic.