The Bhutanese Leading the way.
As Bhutan prepares to join world leaders at COP30, the country is ready with strong goals to fight climate change and protect its environment. Bhutan has been part of the UN climate talks since 1995 and is known globally for being one of the few carbon-negative countries, meaning it absorbs more carbon than it emits.
At COP30, Bhutan will focus on getting fair and easy access to climate finance. The country wants developed nations to provide more grant-based funding, money that does not need to be paid back, to support vulnerable countries like Bhutan. Bhutan is also asking for a clear global definition of what counts as climate finance to avoid confusion and misuse of terms.
Bhutan will continue pushing for recognition of mountain regions in global climate policies. In past meetings, mountain ecosystems were often left out, even though they are highly affected by climate change. Bhutan, along with other Himalayan countries, helped get mountain issues included in key decisions at COP28. Now, Bhutan wants to make sure these are kept in the final agreements at COP30 and wants global climate reports to include specific indicators related to mountains.
Bhutan is also working on its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), a key document under the Paris Agreement. This plan will include goals to reduce emissions and build resilience in energy, agriculture, transport, settlements, and waste. Bhutan’s plan focuses on projects that can be funded and implemented and supports its larger national development goals.
The country will also highlight the need for a “just transition” to a green economy, meaning the move toward clean energy should not hurt people’s jobs or income. Bhutan wants climate actions to be fair, especially for small and developing countries.
Bhutan has created a National Adaptation Plan (NAP), focusing on seven important sectors like water, food, forests, health, and energy. These are closely connected to global goals and Bhutan wants support to carry out these plans. Since Bhutan is especially vulnerable to climate disasters like floods and droughts, adapting to climate change is a top priority.
The country will also push for more support from the Loss and Damage Fund, which was set up to help countries deal with climate impacts. Bhutan helped negotiate this fund when it was part of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) group. Although Bhutan is no longer an LDC, it still qualifies for support, but must now compete with many other countries. The government is working on collecting data and setting up systems to access the fund.
Bhutan is also taking part in the global carbon market under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. It will push for fair rules that include clean energy and forest conservation as ways to earn carbon credits.
Since graduating from LDC status, Bhutan no longer receives special financial benefits. To adjust, it is looking at new ways to raise money, such as green bonds, carbon trading, and partnerships with other countries and private companies.
Bhutan is also working to host the G-Zero Forum Secretariat in Thimphu, a platform with other carbon-negative countries like Suriname and Madagascar to share ideas and attract climate funding.
Although the average global person produces about 13 kg of carbon per day, Bhutan’s per person emission is only around 6 kg. In 2022, Bhutan released about 1.7 million tons of carbon dioxide, but its forests absorbed 11.7 million tons, which means removing 9.7 million tons more than it produced. Even the 1.7 mn tons of emission includes forest emissions. Bhutan ranks very low in both total and per-person emissions. The government says these are “survival emissions,” necessary for basic development.
Even as Bhutan grows, it continues to show that protecting nature and developing the country can go hand in hand.
