Being more like the Kingdom of Bhutan

I like to look at how other countries and how they have taken on the challenge of looking after their environment.  It seems all the more important now that Britain has voted to 'stand alone' in the EU Referendum and we may have to determine our own environmental policies to protect our natural world and fight climate change as a whole. 

One of the countries I have been most interested in has been the Kingdom of Bhutan. Bhutan is a relatively small country nestled in between India and China, with a population of only around 750,000, a GDP of just 1.78 billion USD, and is still classified as a 'least developed country'. You would expect then they would be racing to catch up with the Western world (the apparent benchmark everyone aspires to), destroying all their natural resources and greatly increasing their carbon footprint in the process. But they haven't. Instead they have taken a very different route.


Firstly, one of the most obvious things is that they have chosen to rule their progress not by the western GDP (Gross Domestic Produce) but by GNH (Gross National Happiness), apparently based on the Buddhist spiritual values.  First coined in 1972, this may appear to have nothing to do with being environmentally friendly, the four pillars of GNH are:

• Sustainable development
• Preservation and promotion of cultural values
• Conservation of the natural environment
• Establishment of good governance

This not only puts sustainability and conservation at the heart of anything they do, but also removes money as the only goal to aim for.

Since then Bhutan has signed the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992 and produced a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan which has lead to them being viewed as a model for proactive conservation initiatives.  In this strategy they have promised to maintain at least 60% of their land under forest cover, designate more than 40% territory as national parks, reserves, and other protected areas, and, most recently, identify a further 9% of land as biodiversity corridors linking these protected areas allowing migration throughout the country.  They have also implemented an insurance scheme and set up solar powered alarm fences, watchtowers and search lights to protect crops and livestock, as well as providing food and salt licks outside of human settlements to reduce conflict between humans and protected wildlife.  The Bhutan Government has made it clear that, while their natural heritage is largely intact, it cannot be taken for granted and conserving it must be one of the challenges to be addressed in years to come.

This protection of their wildlife has meant that the Kingdom of Bhutan currently has the net greenhouse gas emission of zero, with the small amount of pollution they produce being absorbed by the forests covering Bhutan.  On top of this, they have also implemented a number of (to us) progressive environmental policies, such as promoting the purchase of electric cars and ensuring that most of their energy is obtained from hydroelectric, which will ensure that their carbon footprint will always remain relatively low.

Perhaps the most striking difference between the Bhutan government's attitude to environmental conservation against the UK's is that it has not been treated as a separate sector, that is usually ignored, but has been placed at the core of the nation's development strategy and can be found as a running theme throughout all the sections of Government.

Now I'm not saying the Kingdom of Bhutan is perfect (there was the forced expulsion of the ethnic minority group of Hindu Lhotshampa), but their treatment and attitude towards the natural world is definitely something we can learn from.

Incidentally, I thought I would add another video here that will show you how measuring GDP alone will not necessarily help a nation develop into a happy, healthy, and sustainable nation.

Mini Film Review: Racing Extinction

I want to start a little series (a little like the 'App of the moment') that talks briefly about the films that I've watched which have helped galvanise the decisions I've made about my lifestyle.  They are not necessarily films that got me first thinking about the subject or that gave me any additional information, but they are more visual aids which remind me of why I'm taking steps to leading a more sustainable lifestyle.

The first one I want to write about is the one that means the most to me and that's Racing Extinction.  If people I've met know nothing else about me they know that I love all wildlife and my main focus in living sustainably is to protect that wildlife.  The way I see it, as they evolved on the planet along with us all species have just as much right to be here as we do and we have no right to cause their extinction.  But there is also the fact the health of this planet, and therefore our ability to live on it, relies on these species being here.  Even if you think that it's ok to loose some species, we just don't know which species are important to the health of the ecosystems and therefore can't justify losing any.

In Racing Extinction they document some of the species that are already extinction, are functionally extinct, or are now facing extinction and the activities we are doing that are causing this.  While they only look at a few species, this is true for most species on the planet.  The photography goes between stunning, beautiful footage of the species in their natural habitat to footage of the species now as a product being processed for selling on the market.  The thing that is really highlighted is the sheer unsustainable number of species being removed from the ecosystems that you really can't get your head round until you see the picture.  The footage that had the most impact on me was when they showed the sheer number of shark fins spread out across a few roof tops.

During the documentary they use the latest technology to not only show the amount of carbon dioxide being produced in our day to day activities, but to project the information onto buildings which allows member of the public to see and hear information about a number of species and the issues they are facing today.

It also shows the individuals who are working hard to help highlight the issues and to make a positive difference, showing that it is possible for an individual to make a difference. 

The thing I really love most about this documentary is, while it does honestly portrays the bad situation we are racing towards, it also highlights that we can still make a difference, we can still fix this.  It is possible for us to change our behaviour and save this amazing planet.  They start the campaign 'Start With 1 Thing' (#startwith1thing) in this movie which encourages us to just do one thing to begin with to lower our impact on the planet.  If I was to recommend something it would be to start by looking at what you eat.  It also contains one of my favourite quotes (great for when people say 'Well what's the point?'), which is 'Better to light a candle than rage against the dark'.

You can find Racing Extinction on their website, Twitter @racingextinction, and Instagram @racingextinction.  In the UK you buy the movie on Amazon or through YouTube.  I would definitely recommend it, especially if you're needing a little push.