The Happy Place

From the billions of greens that grow around the globe, the tree exhales its spell. The odour is intense. The cool breath of these flora dense sectors of the world brings us closer to freshness, and decreasing our carbon footprints.

In this way, Bhutan expresses an expectant optimism for the near future, with regards to their carbon footprint. Bhutan continues to be one of the most biodiverse countries in the region, though it falls under the threat of climate change. The Kingdom’s forests cover 70% of the land, functioning as a natural carbon-well where the country’s carbon absorption is more than the production. However, in the space of a little more than a decade, innumerable countries have pledged but failed to meet their carbon neutral agreements. The backward direction leading to a carbon positive environment, where carbon emissions surpass the removal, threatens life on Earth. Though life on Earth is resilient, humans may or may not survive the final years and aftermath of excessive greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere.

Due to rivers being a prominent source of clean and renewable energy, hydroelectricity is used as a main energy source throughout Bhutan. The country even distributes this source of renewable energy to its surrounding countries for profit which ensures that they limit the carbon-concentrated activities taking place in the surrounding areas. The potential hydropower of the nation ranges at around 30,000 megawatts of which only 5% is generated.

Alive in its bloodstream - the energy is harvested from the living centre of these rivers.

United Nations Bhutan has outlined a list of ‘17 Sustainable Development Goals’ to be achieved by 2030, focusing on maximising people's happiness by improving the quality of life. These range from the eradication of extreme poverty to establishing gender equality surrounding all aspects of living in Bhutan.

By Aashi Taori