Bhutan renews carbon-negative pledge

Bhutan, one of the few countries in the world that is carbon-negative, has maintained its environmental commitments at COP28 in Dubai, officials from the small, landlocked Asian nation said.

At the UN climate conference this past week, the kingdom shared its low-carbon development strategies that it had committed during COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009.

The Himalayan nation is one of the first three countries in the world to achieve net-zero emissions, along with Suriname in South America and Panama in Central America.

Yeshi Lhendup, senior program officer at the Department of Macro-Fiscal and Development Finance in Bhutan's Ministry of Finance, said one reason why Bhutan is carbon-negative is because "we started our green financing or sustainable development or climate action activities since the 1960s".

With funding support from many development partners, Bhutan has built micro or small hydropower projects for energy supply. Similarly, the country has not taken up any large industrial activity that involves greenhouse gas emissions, the official said, adding that all developmental activities are conducted under an eco-friendly mechanism.

Bhutan has a long history of focusing on climate protection. And after the Paris Agreement, Bhutan submitted pledges in 2015 through nationally determined contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to remain carbon-negative. "And in 2021, we again submitted our second NDCs reiterating to remain carbon-negative in perpetuity," he said.

Furthermore, in order to keep up with its NDC commitment, Bhutan submitted several green plans at the summit. The Long-Term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission and Climate Resilient Development Strategy engages six key sectors including energy, water and biodiversity, while the National Adaptation Plan involves seven major sectors including human settlement and smart cities, he said.

All development activities in Bhutan have been in line with the country's Gross National Happiness principles, where environment protection and conservation is one of four key pillars.

Bhutan's Constitution, enacted in 2008, clearly states that the country must maintain 60 percent of landmass under forest cover. "Due to such best practices, the country still remains one of the (few) carbon-negative countries in the world," he said.

Hydropower development is a key focus for Bhutan, and tourism is next to hydropower projects in terms of contributing to economic growth, the official said.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, China was among Bhutan's top sources of foreign visitors. After that, "we are still waiting to pick up the international tourist momentum, hoping for the next big thing", he said.