Tedspresso - Bhutan
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This country isn't just carbon neutral — it's carbon negative | Tshering Tobgay
Length- 18:54
Key takeaways-
Bhutan is a small landlocked country in the Eastern Himalayas, nestled between India and China and it has a population of 700,000
It is a constitutional monarchy and is ruled by a king as well as a democratically elected government
Bhutan is the only country in the world to have a truly holistic approach to development. They call it Gross National Happiness and it aims to balance economic growth with social development, environmental sustainability and cultural preservation
At the heart of Bhutan’s economic model is its constitution, written into law are provisions such as free universal healthcare, education and guarantees for the environment
These environmental guarantees include opening up and creating wildlife corridors, investing and using renewable energy such as hydropower and limiting its usage of fossil fuels
It is the only country in the world that is carbon negative as its vast forests absorb more c02 than it produces making it a carbon sync. It also uses less energy than it produces so is one of Asia’s biggest renewable energy exporters.
Bhutan has been feeling the effects of climate change for decades - numerous glacial melts have wreaked havoc causing widespread floods and habitat damages. As a result, it is perhaps the only country right now that is putting the protection of the environment before economic gain.
Tshering closes by asking the world to mobilise its resources to replicate Bhutan’s environmental policies in other countries as we are all in this fight together.
Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lc_dlVrg5M
Quotes-
“ Gross national happiness is more important than gross national product”- 4th King of Bhutan
"My country and my people have done nothing to contribute to global warming. But we already bearing the brunt of its consequences." - Tshering Tobgay
