In order to understand what makes a climate leader, more than a definition is needed. It is important to understand how Wangdi became the person he is, and the moment he decided to trade his long life career in economy to become the face of Bhutan’s climate leadership. However, during his time at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, he was entrusted to organise one of the biggest policies in environmental conservation history: the Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation (BTFEC) in 1991. The fund’s creation sparked his interest and commitment to the cause, as it combines environmental policy and his expertise in economic policy into one. His insight into the needs that LDCs have for environmental conservation funds compelled him to advocate for them through his position at the WTO and work for Bhutan to open to international trade. Bhutan’s vulnerability served as a pressure point due to the heavy reliance of the economy on the service sector, directly affected by external changes, coupled with external debt, which worsened Bhutan’s economic situation after the 2008 financial crisis.
After years of being Bhutan’s chief negotiator for the WTO, Wangdi reached a defining moment: being appointed member of the Gross National Happiness Commission of Bhutan (GNHC), which enabled him to have unrestricted access to the commission that oversees environmental policies in Bhutan. This important body of government in Bhutan is responsible for screening all official policies in the country before they are endorsed by the Cabinet. His authority within the GNHC gave him access to the policy-making sphere of the government, where he focused on environmental programs focused on raising funds abroad. The GNHC functions under the royal government of Bhutan, which has been criticised for diminishing ethnic minority rights. Therefore, it is in the government’s interest to be seen as a trailblazer in environmental policy, so that other aspects of the government are overseen.
Wangdi’s most important life decision happened with the recognition that developing countries face a particular disadvantage regarding the impacts of climate change at both an environmental and structural level, whilst contributing the least to global warming. In 2019, when asked about it, he said ‘Countries must urgently scale up their climate action and the level of support they provide to developing countries’. Therefore, when he was appointed chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) the following year, he took the international sphere as his stage, where he has been advocating for the allocation of funds and international collaboration to tackle the climate emergency.
During COP25 hosted in Madrid, Wangdi addressed the delegates emphasising that ‘The WIM must enhance action and support to address loss and damage in developing countries.‘ Wangdi was not only denouncing the unfairness of the burden of the impacts of climate change on underdeveloped nations, in a step further, he was also advocating for “loss and damage” payments from high-income countries, a form of climate change reparations. Being chair of the LDC is arguably the pinnacle of his career, where on multiple occasions he revealed the widespread struggle for economic funding developing countries face. It undeniably established his reputation within the international community as the spokesperson for environmental policy in Bhutan. This led him to get selected as Secretary of the National Environment Commission, granting him a proactive role in shaping Bhutan’s climate policies. This position of power within the international sphere is what has allowed him to deliver positive results when it comes to advocating for the countries participating in the LDCs.
IExRAIA Summer Research Program:
This article is an excerpt from a report on Sonam Phuntsho Wangdi produced as part of an RAIA research program on climate leaders. For a full picture of Ruto’s climate leadership read the full report. This project was fully financed by IE University’s IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs.
Authors: Sophia Rathleff & Maria de la Paz Gonzalez
Editor: David Salinger
Project Lead: Francia Morales
