The promise to remain carbon neutral makes Bhutan the first of its kind, and this is what I’d like to discuss in detail, the commitment to remain carbon neutral. But before I go on further, I should establish the context. I should tell you their story. Bhutan is a tiny country on the Himalayas’ eastern edge, dressed with dramatic landscapes. They have always been called the Shangri-La(Utopia), even as the last Shangri-La. But let’s be clear and get this misconception right out of the way. Bhutan is not one big monastery inhabited by happy monks. The fact is that there are barely 700,000 residents sandwiched between two of the most populated countries on earth, China and India. The truth is that they are a small, underdeveloped country doing their best to survive. Bhutan is surviving. They are thriving, and one of the key reasons is because they have been blessed with great monarchs. Their enlightened kings have worked tirelessly to develop a country that balances economic growth along with social development, environmental conservation and cultural preservation, all within the framework of good governance. They call this holistic approach to development “Gross National Happiness,” or GNH. Back in the 1970s, their fourth king famously pronounced that Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product for Bhutan. Ever since GNH drives all development in Bhutan, this pioneering vision aims to improve the happiness and well-being of our people. But the way it sounds abstracts the real challenges, especially when they are one of the smallest economies in the world. Their entire GDP is less than two billion dollars.

Bhutan is a small economy, and that doesn’t stop them from pursuing their goals. Education is entirely free. All citizens are assured free education, and those who excel are given free college education. Healthcare is also entirely free. Medical consultation, medical treatment and medicines are all supported by the state. They manage this because they use their limited resources very carefully and because they stay sincere to the fundamental mission of GNH, which is progress with values. Their economy is small, and they must strengthen it. Economic growth is essential, but economic growth must not come from undermining their unique culture or their pristine environment. Today, their culture is flourishing. They continue to celebrate their art and architecture, food and festivals, monks and monasteries. Bhutan’s culture is flourishing, but so is their environment. Seventy-two percent of the country is covered by forest. Their constitution demands that a minimum of 60 percent of Bhutan’s total land shall remain under forest cover for all time. That’s why they are one of the few remaining global biodiversity hotspots in the world, and that’s why we are a carbon-neutral country. In a world that is vulnerable to climate change, we are a carbon-neutral country. Of the two hundred countries in the world today, we are the only one that’s carbon neutral. That’s not entirely accurate. Bhutan is not carbon neutral. Bhutan is carbon negative. The entire country generates 2.2 million tons of carbon dioxide. Still, their forests sequester more than three times that amount, so they are a carbon sink for about four million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. But that’s not all. They export most of the renewable electricity they generate from their fast-flowing rivers. So today, the clean energy that they export offsets about six million tons of carbon dioxide in their neighbourhood. So inside their country, they are a net carbon sink. Outside, they are offsetting carbon.

And why is this important? The world’s temperature is rising, and climate change is a reality. Climate change is affecting Bhutan. Their glaciers are melting, causing flash floods and landslides, which in turn are causing disaster and widespread destruction in their country. A few years ago, a lake breached its dams and devastated the valleys. That uncontrollable calamity was caused by one glacier lake. They have 2,700 of them to contend with. The point is this: the country and its people have done nothing to contribute to global warming, but they already bear the burden of its consequences. And for a small, poor country that is landlocked and mountainous, it is challenging. But they wouldn’t sit on their hands; they will fight climate change. That’s why they have promised to remain carbon neutral. Bhutan first made their promise in 2009 during COP 15 in Copenhagen, but nobody noticed. Governments were busy arguing with one another and blaming each other for causing climate change. When a small country raised their hands and announced, “we promise to remain carbon neutral for all time,” nobody heard them. Nobody cared. Last December in Paris, at COP 21, they reiterated their promise to remain carbon neutral for all time to come. This time, other countries heard them. They were noticed, and everybody cared. In Paris, governments came round together to accept the facts of climate change. They felt the necessity to act together and work together—all countries, from small to very large, committed to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The UN Framework Convention says that we’d be closer to containing global warming by two degrees Celsius if these socalled intended commitments are kept. It’s vital that all of us keep our promises.

Bhutan will keep their promise to remain carbon neutral. Here are some of the ways they are doing it.

They are providing free electricity to their farmers. With free electricity, they wouldn’t have to use firewood to cook their food.

• They are providing free electricity to their farmers.With free electricity, they wouldn’t have to use firewood to cook their food.
• They are investing in sustainable transport and subsidizing the purchase of electric vehicles.
• Similarly, they are subsidizing the cost of LED lights, and their entire government is trying to go paperless.
• They are cleaning up their entire country through Clean Bhutan, a national program, and
• They are planting trees throughout their country through Green Bhutan, another national program.

But it is their protected areas that are at the core of their carbon-neutral strategy. They are the carbon sink. They are their lungs. Today, more than half their country is protected, as national parks, nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. But the beauty is that they’ve connected them all through a network of biological corridors. Now, what this means is that their animals are free to roam throughout their country.

This is a story of how people keep their promise to remain carbon neutral, a story of how people keep their country pristine for themselves, their children, and the world. After all, we’re here to dream together, to work together, to fight climate change together, to protect our planet together.