Source: https://www.vjv.com/media/314861/bhutan-punakh-monastery.jpg
Bhutan is a tiny mountainous country landlocked far away in the Himalayas. Aided by it’s expensive visa policy for most tourists, Bhutan has largely stayed away from excessive commercialization in the name of tourism and has thus kept it’s mysterious aura intact.
72% of the country is covered in forests and this has helped it become a carbon sink rather than a carbon polluter. While it’s trees can absorb about 6 million tons of carbon per year, Bhutan only produces 1.5 million tons of carbon annually. Another key factor in helping it become carbon negative is importance given to Gross National Happiness (GNH) rather than Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
As part of GNH, one of the key initiatives was the pledge to not let forest cover go below 60%, ban logging and also encourage the use of hydroelectric power and other renewable energy sources. While this started off as a project to becoming carbon neutral, today Bhutan stands out as the only country in the world which is carbon negative. Moreover, GNH has been adopted into happiness surveys and reports in many other parts of the world.
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Mel
That is fascinating. I didn’t know that about Bhutan.
aseemrastogi2
Yeah must say that Bhutan is a really mesmerizing country. And seeing it’s natural beauty you wouldn’t be disappointed
Atulmaharaj
In knew the Bhutan that was a serene place with a lot of food variety. This is informative, thanks for sharing 🙂
Rajlakshmi
Bhutan is a place I would love to visit. It’s natural beauty has always mesmerised me. 🙂
aseemrastogi2
Yeah not for nothing is the forest cover maintained above 60% there. I guess maintaining the natural beauty of the country is something each and every citizen there strives for. And the results show :). Thanks for stopping by :D.
Healthwealthbridge by Dr.Amrita Basu
I admire this country for its responsibility towards mother earth and the future.Hoping to learn from them .Great way to spread awareness
mahekg
Wow… Much advanced country than all I feel in true sense. They are going in the right direction. #zarahatkeblogreads
transitionofthoughts
True that!
shalzmojo
Kudos to Bhutan and your writing on this is an excellent piece!
doctorsblogging
Right post at the right time, going to Bhutan in next month 🙂
inquisitivegeet
That sure is a great initiative focusing on GNH. And the country with its greenery should sure be the target of developed countries!
Loved the information here.
Cheers
Geets
transitionofthoughts
Sure it’s a lovely initiative. Thanks Geetika :).
Ranjini
Now, as I think of it, haven’t heard many people talk about visiting Bhutan. After reading this, I feel like I should 🙂
shwetadave09
I had no clue Bhutan was so forest rich…I so love forests. Will surely read more on Bhutan now and visit as soon as i can 🙂 Lovely post!
Modern Gypsy
I knew about Bhutan following GDH, but didn’t know much about its strategy to remain carbon neutral. Very interesting!
transitionofthoughts
Thanks :).
Sneha Sen
I have always wanted to visit Bhutan but never knew it was a carbon negative place.
transitionofthoughts
Oh yes that’s such a lovely thing that they are doing whatever they can to protect their environment :).
Nidhi Kapur
Informative article on Bhutan.Good to know its carbon sinking!
transitionofthoughts
Thanks :). They are definitely doing a great job and one we all can learn from.