The only carbon negative country of the world
- SHRIJEETA GHOSH
- Dec 26, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 2, 2021
The world's happiest country is also the only country in the world that releases more oxygen than carbon dioxide! Learn how they make it possible and how we can get inspired to become carbon negative ourselves!
More than 70% of the country is covered in trees. This large amount of tree cover has seen Bhutan becoming a carbon sink – meaning that it absorbs more carbon dioxide than it produces. Bhutan absorbs roughly seven million tons of carbon dioxide annually and only produces around two million tons.
Bhutan also exports most of the renewable hydro-electric power that it generates from its rivers. This counteracts the country’s contribution towards carbon emissions by millions of tons each year.
How did they make it possible?
The constitution was amended to include that forested areas would not drop below 60%.
A ban was placed on log exports.
National programs like clean Bhutan and green Bhutan
Free hydroelectric power generated by Bhutan’s many rivers is used instead of less environmentally friendly fossil fuels.
Free electricity is provided to rural families so that they don't have the need to burn wood in order to cook food.
The government also teamed up with Nissan to distribute electric cars among the citizens. These cars were mainly distributed to discourage the use of vehicles running on fuel.
The government has also decided to go paperless soon.
"Bhutan is the only country in the world that by its own constitution protects its forests" explains Juergen Nagler, of the UN Development Program in Bhutan.
Environmental protection is enshrined in the constitution, which states that a minimum of 60% of Bhutan's total land should be maintained under forest cover for all time.
The country even banned logging exports in 1999.
Currently 81 per cent of Bhutan is under forest cover, and more than half the country is protected as national parks, nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries – all connected by a network of biological corridors. Resources are also provided to help communities who live in the parks manage the forests well, adapt to climate change and live harmoniously with the environment. This helps to prevent poaching, mining, hunting and pollution in the parks.
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