To understand the environmental challenges Bhutan faces today, it is important to outline the arguable root cause. Bhutan remains vulnerable to the increasing rate of natural disasters caused by climate change. This vulnerability stems from both natural causes and the lack of infrastructure preparedness in the country. Bhutan has faced 12 major earthquakes in the past 50 years, most of which read over 7.0 on the Richter scale. These earthquakes have caused significant infrastructural damage which has impeded the process of development in Bhutan. An example of this damage is a 2009 earthquake that generated $97 million in losses and needs.
Additionally, Bhutan faces flooding, droughts, wildfire and monsoon weather which made up 80% of the average annual natural hazard occurrences from 1980-2020. Both manmade and natural disasters cause infrastructural issues for Bhutan, prompting multiple programmes in coalition with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). These aim to increase infrastructural defence and thus resilience to these disasters. The significance of these infrastructural issues will become more evident throughout this section.
However, before delving into the three main climate challenges this report will focus on, it is important to recognise the overarching achievement that is Bhutan’s carbon neutrality. Shelby Tzung argues that ‘Bhutan has found a way to overcome the pull of free riding and emerge as a champion of sustainability, without any guarantees that other countries will catch up in time to prevent Bhutan from suffering’. Essentially, Bhutan has become a pillar for sustainable action whilst being unable to influence the overall global environmental situation. Despite this achievement, there is serious doubt whether it can be maintained in tandem with economic growth. Much of this success derives from Bhutan’s lack of industrialization. Yqangka, Rauland and Newman developed the LEAP model to assess the longevity of carbon neutrality and concluded that it will derail between 2037 and 2050 in return for necessary economic growth.
Water Management
The first of the key environmental challenges that Bhutan faces is water management. Bhutan has abundant access to water which has both helped and hindered the country. They have one of the highest water resource availability per capita in the world with 94,500 m^3/capita/annum. However, it is severely underused; only 78% of the population has access to safe drinking water, with 12.5% of the land being irrigated. Additionally, unsafe water is abundant during monsoon seasons and a severe lack of water during the dry season, which often falls in dry winter seasons. As a result, there are serious implications for human health and agriculture. The infrastructural grid is critically impacted by natural disasters which often weakens efforts to improve water management in the country. Consequently, Bhutan is likely hurtling towards a severe lack of usable water by 2030. Overall, the issues with water management have made Bhutan more vulnerable to water scarcity and natural disasters themselves.
Conservation
The second environmental challenge is conservation challenges. This refers to the forest conservation that has enabled Bhutan’s carbon-neutral status. Bhutan has a total land area of 4.024 million hectares and has promised to keep 60% of that forest covered. This is overseen by the Forestry Services Division which has been working on forest management plans in ten-year increments since 1964. Protected Areas have played an important role in achieving this amount of forest conservation within the country, in tandem with the GNH core tenets. Despite its successes, the conservation programme faces threats from both manmade and natural factors.
Illegal timber and human wildlife conflicts have posed threats to the conservation efforts in Bhutan. However, natural disasters, particularly forest fires, pose a much larger threat to the forest cover that Bhutan relies on. National statistics show that there has been a worrying increase in forest fires in the past years. In 2019 there were 40 cases, damaging 352.72 hectares, increasing to 43 cases destroying 4380.05 hectares in 2021. This amount of damage threatens to not only break Bhutan’s promise of maintaining at least 60% forest cover but also remove their carbon neutrality. Overall, conservation challenges threaten the pillar of Bhutan’s climate action and remain in a precarious state.
Sustainable energy
The final challenge this report will focus on is the implementation of sustainable energy sources. This has been a notable struggle for Bhutan, once again harking back to the infrastructural issues the country is facing. Given its lack of significant reserves of fossil energy resources, Bhutan imported 39,389 MT of petroleum and oil from India in 2022 alone. The country uses these resources for their own use, mainly in the industrial sector. However, they export clean energy sources, despite having their own energy security concerns.
The source of renewable energy that shows the most promise in Bhutan is hydropower, running on the abundance of water within the nation. However, winter poses an issue as this is when ‘hydropower generation is at its minimum and the domestic energy demand is at its maximum’. Hydropower has a potential of 37,000 MW with only 33,000 MW currently viable due to economic and technological constraints. In reality, even less is currently being utilised despite numerous programmes to aid in their implementation.
On the other hand, biomass is a viable option, especially for community-level use. Bhutan has the opportunity for 20,000 biomass plants on a rural level, but ensuring these communities have enough cattle to power them has been a challenge. Infrastructural issues are the main challenge in providing the country with sustainable energy sources, but they have provided one positive result. As a result of infrastructural issues, many rural communities already rely on hydropower and biomass to power their communities as they can’t access national energy infrastructure.
Despite this, it is important to recognise that the use of fossil fuels is necessary within the kingdom of Bhutan, as it is still moving towards modern industrialisation. While the implementation of sustainable energy is a significant goal for Bhutan, it is also aware that fossil fuels will remain a significant part of their energy sector. Overall, sustainable energy, especially hydropower, has great potential, however, goals must remain realistic in relation to the demands of growth and development.
Though, in regards to Wangdi himself, a myriad of life experiences have built his motivation as a climate leader. Throughout his career, there is a clear path of him working on an international level and then returning back to the national level, each time bringing new experiences and lessons into his work. As mentioned previously, his first role was as Deputy Chief Negotiator for Bhutan in World Trade Organisation negotiations from 2005 to 2012. During his time he would have seen the shockwaves the 2008 financial crash sent through Asia, as it affected their economies slightly later than Western ones. His education, in combination with this international experience, has given him extensive knowledge on the economic workings of different countries and how they interact with each other. This is crucial in climate policy, as the economy and financing are often the centre of discussions.
Wangdi then spent thirty-one years working in the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Bhutan and the National Happiness Committee (NHC). Here, he would learn the core tenets of the GNH model and how Bhutan adapts its policies around national values. Working in the Economic Affairs Ministry, he gained experience in Bhutan’s particular economic situation. This experience was the reason behind Bhutan’s heavy cooperation with the international community and its agencies. However, his role in the NHC was more significant, allowing him to determine policies regarding the GNH, which holds environmental goals very closely. This is where his ‘spark’ for climate policy started, which is why it is his defining moment, to be discussed shortly.
Wangdi was then appointed chair of the Lesser Developed Countries Committee on climate in 2019. By this point, he had a thorough understanding of the economic situations of these countries, as Bhutan is an LDC itself. Additionally, he had knowledge on how climate policy has been effective in Bhutan through his national experiences. This combination of experiences gave him a unique outlook. Similarly, when he was appointed Secretary of the National Environmental Commission he carried these experiences onwards. When analysing his career there is a fluctuation between his levels of employment, from being posted internationally to deeply nationally. His first international position was serving majoritively national interests, however, his second was a new responsibility entirely. He was thrust upon an international stage to lead not only his country but others in a similar position towards realistic climate goals. Thus this is where the focus should be placed when looking into Wangdi’s change in attitude but also career trajectory.
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
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