The world today is marked by rapid changes. Almost
everything is constantly changing. Some good, some bad, some slow and some too fast.
The changes are either manmade or natural but change is inevitable. One of the
many global changes adversely affecting the world today is climate change. And
this change indeed is one of the most worrisome to global citizens. The
whole world is grappling with the challenges of global warming and climate
change. Indeed, it has become a global issue. Bhutan may boast of its clean air,
60% forest coverage and carbon-neutral status but the fact is that Bhutan is no
exception to the forces of change including climate change. Bhutan is bearing the brunt of it although
its contribution is negligible compared to other industrialized nations. As
such, Bhutan like any other country has awakened itself to the rising problems
and is making its share of efforts to counter the issues. While the problems
are many, big and small, Bhutan is determined to face climate change. In fact, Bhutan
has committed itself to partake in the global fight against climate change,
no matter what.
The effects of climate change are very much visible in Bhutan.
I myself stand witness to the climate change and its effects in Thimphu, the
capital city of Bhutan where I have been working and living for the last 15
years. In the late nineties, I remember Thimphu in winter used to be covered
with thick blankets of snow. The snowfall was certain, timely and abundant every
winter as expected. But now, snowfall in
Thimphu has become unpredictable and some winters are bereft of snow. Likewise,
monsoon has become erratic in recent times. Lack of rain and the rising
summer heat due to global warming results in droughts and famine. The untimely
rain and cyclone have resulted in floods, erosion, degradation and destruction
of crops. The change in weather patterns has adversely affected the cropping
patters of the farmers leading to poor harvests. Besides, it has also affected
the four seasons thereby altering the vegetations and the animal habitats
leading to loss of species. The elders say that strange species of plants have
started to grow in their fields and subtropical birds are visible in the
temperate climatic zones. An old resident in Thimphu said that he misses the
big crows feasting on the ritual bread. Likewise, subtropical diseases like
dengue and malaria are emerging in temperate regions which otherwise were
unknown to us before. Mosquitoes are not anymore an exclusive problem of down
south Phuentsholing but it has become a problem in Thimphu too.
The two incidents, in particular, were considered definite
signs and consequences of climate change in Bhutan. One, a kind of caterpillar
called army-worm appeared suddenly out of nowhere in huge numbers almost covering
the grounds of Thimphu. The worms voraciously fed on greens mainly grasses,
leaves of plants and crops leaving only the hard stems or trunks. It appeared strange
in a strange manner and also disappeared on its own within no time. It appeared
in 2013 for the first time and it made its bold presence felt once again just a
couple of weeks ago in Thimphu (2015). Another strange incident was that of the sudden appearance of wild snails in Gyelpozhing, Mongar a few years ago which
also fed on greens especially vegetables and crops. The wild snails were
collected and exterminated in huge masses and then buried underground. Whatever
the causes and rationales, these odd occurrences are believed to be bad signs
as far as the Bhutanese people are concerned.
Besides, it is nowadays common news on BBS TV to report on
water scarcity both for drinking as well as irrigation purpose. In fact, the people
in the villages claim that their water sources dried out itself or due to
some quarry works and/or construction works. This, I believe is certainly true
because wherever there is a certain development activity there is some kind of
disturbance to nature. When the harmony of the natural environment is
troubled it sets the eco-system off balance and forces the nature to react in
an odd manner.
Another much talked
about issue associated with climate change is the receding snow in the Himalayas. My recent trip to the highland community called Lingzhi up north has
made me see and feel the truth about the fast-melting snow and retreating
glaciers. It was early April and the highland mountains and valleys were
expected to be covered in snow. However, much of the mountains were barely
under snow except for the highest peaks and the highest mounts such as
Jomolhari, Tsheringang and Jichu Drakay. Some locals told me that the snow is
melting fast and there is less snow every year. They have also been
experiencing milder snowfall every year but being ignorant of the scientific reasons
they are lost in wonder.
Apparently, climate change has also led to high altitude catastrophes
like avalanches and lake outbursts resulting in flash floods which pose a tremendous threat to humans and animals alike. Bhutan has already experienced
such natural disasters in the recent past that caused damages to properties and
even cost a few lives too. As a result, the Bhutan government has had to take
on the Lunana Lake Project as a measure against the possible lake outburst
which required humongous task of manually digging through the ice-cold rocks
and lowering the water level to a safe degree. Hundreds of men worked
vigorously in the biting cold for years to achieve this gigantic task. A few
lives have been lost in the course but ultimately this perilous endeavour is
indeed one of the success stories of Bhutan in the fight against climate
change.
There are many other success
stories though we might have failed in a few cases. One of the success stories
is that of the promotion of biogas system in the villages wherein organic
wastes, cow dung and human excreta are used as the raw materials which are
readily available. The village people produce their own renewable fuel called
biogas which is used for cooking purposes. The main objective behind is to
reduce and/or replace the traditional method of using firewood as a primary
source of energy. The biogas system is energy efficient and has no undesirable
impact on nature. This project is a partnership between the government and the
local community wherein the government provides the material and technical
support whereas the individual households contribute labour and logistics for the construction of the biogas plant. This is picking up fast in the villages and
is expected to reduce the pressure on the forest resources.
Yet the other good news is the mandatory toilet construction
in the villages as per the Health Ministry’s order. There are three types of eco-friendly
toilets of which Eco-san toilet is supposedly the best as the name suggests. It
strives to safely and economically convert human excreta into nutrients and
then is returned to the soil for crop production. The water is also separated
and goes back to the soil. Thus, with this closed-loop system, the use of
non-renewable resources is minimized. Many homes in eastern Bhutan now use
these toilets. I too have spent my last winter constructing one for my home in Khoyar,
Samdrupjongkhar.
One area where Bhutan is able to remain rigidly neutral or
rather successful is in the preservation of its forest resources in line with
the policy of maintaining 60% minimum forest coverage for perpetuity. With the ceasing of the practice of the
age-old shifting cultivation which involved clearing vast area of forests,
burning it down and cultivation for a few years, the forest cover is believed to
have increased. On the contrary, the forest cover is believed to have reduced
owing to forest fires in dry seasons and felling of trees for commercial
purposes. As such, it is believed that the forest coverage has neither
decreased nor increased. However, the efforts made by the government and the
people to plant as many trees annually on World Environment Day and Social
Forestry Day would not have gone in vain. Rather I believe that it would have
contributed to increased coverage though there is no official data to prove it.
To cite one example, Bhutan has set a new Genius World Record by planting
49,672 saplings on 2nd June this year. We are proud but it is not
just about the record. I mean, we plant thousands of saplings every year as a
collective effort towards the reforestation of the deforested land, supported by
the forestry department in terms of the distribution of free saplings. A number of many
small plantation and greening projects are undertaken by different stakeholders
on an annual basis for the conservation of the environment. With such good initiatives
and practices, we can certainly have a healthy environment to counter global
warming.
Bhutan has also met with a few hurdles when it comes to
counteracting climate change or issues associated with it. The latest one is
the government’s brave move to encourage import of electric cars from Japan with
granting of tax holiday while imposing heavy taxes on other import vehicles. This
came about with Bhutan’s new government as a measure against the increasing number
of fuel cars in recent years. The statistics of cars in Bhutan was more
than 60,000 as of 2013 for a population of 700,000 people. More cars meant more
carbon dioxide, more carbon dioxide meant increased global warming though negligible
compared to other countries. Nonetheless, the electric cars which run on batteries
were expected to replace the utility cars run on fuels thereby reducing harmful emissions
causing air pollution which contributes to climate change. The electric cars
are said to be energy efficient compared to fuel cars. Unfortunately, no matter
how hard the government may try, people are least interested in electric cars
for some reasons. Even after almost two years of introduction, there are less
than 20 electric cars in the country. However, the point to note here is that
this choice may not be because the people are not considerate about the environment
but it may be about the comparative performance to travel long distances
besides the battery charging and replacement hassles. On thinking further, the
electric car batteries would have to be disposed of like any other batteries after
its life span ends. This means that electric cars aren’t free of wastes after all.
Well, we might succeed or we might not but it’s not the end
of the story. What is more important is to realize that climate change is real,
happening and threatening us some way or the other, now or in future. Keeping
this in mind, we must act in full consciousness and strive to curb climate
change, if not at least, not aggravate it in any way. I know it is difficult
but not impossible. It is possible because I try to do it every day. It is as
simple as believing in oneself to act righteously and live harmoniously. It is
just a matter of making the right decision and the right choice. It is as easy as
taking the very first step, that is, to think clean energy, clean air, clean water, clean
earth, and clean space; and then start with simple things like walking instead
of driving, dispose wastes properly instead of dumping in the backyards, use
recyclable bags instead of plastics, choose organic foods and not packaged
products, close water taps and put off lights when not required. Save energy and
resources whenever and wherever possible. It all begins with self. It is a noble
responsibility vested in each of us as individuals, as members of communities
and as citizens of the world to be adequately responsive to the issues of
global climate change. I mean to say that we caused it so we must bear the
brunt of it. There is no escape except to find the solutions before it’s late. Anyways,
choice is ours! It is never too late! But we may be if we do not act now!
@Karma D Gyeltshen2014-2015
