Bhutan PM urges rich nations to follow carbon-negative example
Seventy-two per cent of Bhutan’s territory is forested, making it a crucial carbon sink. Photograph: Suzanne Stroeer/Getty Images
Bhutan’s prime minister, Tshering Tobgay, says wealthy nations have “no excuse” for delaying deep emissions cuts, reported in The Guardian on 18 November.
Tobgay has renewed his call for wealthy nations to strengthen their climate commitments, as he reaffirmed the Himalayan kingdom’s status as the world’s first carbon-negative country. In an interview, Tobgay said Bhutan’s approach proves that environmental protection, economic development and public well-being can be advanced together, even in a small, resource-limited nation.
Bhutan, home to around 750,000 people, has developed its policies around the philosophy of gross national happiness, which places social progress, environmental conservation and cultural heritage at the heart of its governance.
Tobgay said: “Even with our limited resources and huge geographical challenges, we have managed to prioritise climate action, social progress, cultural preservation and environmental conservation because the happiness and wellbeing of our people and our future generations is at the centre of our development agenda.”
The country maintains more than 70% forest cover, which is above the constitutional minimum of 60%, enabling Bhutan to absorb more carbon than it emits. Its forests alone remove millions of tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere each year, while national emissions remain extremely low due to limited industrial development and a strategic emphasis on renewables. Hydropower provides most of Bhutan’s electricity, and the government is now expanding clean-energy solutions into transport, farming and building infrastructure.
Tobgay said that Bhutan, as well as other small countries, are doing “a lot more than our fair share” to address the climate crisis. He added: “If we can do it, developed rich countries with a lot more resources and revenue can and must do a lot more to reduce their emissions and fight the climate crisis.”
Despite its achievements, Bhutan faces severe climate threats, including glacial melt, flash floods, landslides and unpredictable rainfall patterns that directly affect farming communities. These impacts are intensifying even as the country’s access to climate finance diminishes, following its 2023 graduation from the UN’s “least developed country” category.
Tobgay stressed that wealthier nations must meet their commitments not only to reduce their own emissions but also to support vulnerable countries. “The developed world must do more to fulfil their moral and legal obligations,” he said. “They must help the developing world adapt and reduce emissions by providing finance and resource and technology transfers, but most importantly they must reduce their own emissions.”
Bhutan continues to position itself as a model of equitable, sustainable development, showing how environmental stewardship can be built into national policy. For a world urgently seeking credible examples of climate leadership, Tobgay argues Bhutan has proven that ambition is possible and necessary.
The Guardian, Maghreb.org
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