00:00:13
In case you are wondering,
00:00:15
no, I'm not wearing a dress,
00:00:18
and no, I'm not saying
what I'm wearing underneath.
00:00:22
(Laughter)
00:00:25
This is a gho.
00:00:27
This is my national dress.
00:00:30
This is how all men dress in Bhutan.
00:00:34
That is how our women dress.
00:00:38
Like our women,
00:00:40
we men get to wear pretty bright colors,
00:00:44
but unlike our women,
00:00:47
we get to show off our legs.
00:00:48
(Laughter)
00:00:50
Our national dress is unique,
00:00:52
but this is not the only thing
that's unique about my country.
00:00:56
Our promise to remain
carbon neutral is also unique,
00:00:59
and this is what I'd like
to speak about today,
00:01:01
our promise to remain carbon neutral.
00:01:04
But before I proceed,
I should set you the context.
00:01:08
I should tell you our story.
00:01:11
Bhutan is a small country
in the Himalayas.
00:01:16
We've been called Shangri-La,
00:01:18
even the last Shangri-La.
00:01:21
But let me tell you right off the bat,
we are not Shangri-La.
00:01:24
My country is not one big monastery
00:01:27
populated with happy monks.
00:01:28
(Laughter)
00:01:30
The reality is that
there are barely 700,000 of us
00:01:36
sandwiched between two
of the most populated countries on earth,
00:01:41
China and India.
00:01:44
The reality is that we are a small,
underdeveloped country
00:01:48
doing our best to survive.
00:01:51
But we are doing OK. We are surviving.
00:01:55
In fact, we are thriving,
00:01:58
and the reason we are thriving
is because we've been blessed
00:02:02
with extraordinary kings.
00:02:05
Our enlightened monarchs
have worked tirelessly
00:02:08
to develop our country,
00:02:10
balancing economic growth carefully
00:02:13
with social development,
environmental sustainability
00:02:16
and cultural preservation,
00:02:18
all within the framework
of good governance.
00:02:22
We call this holistic approach
to development
00:02:25
"Gross National Happiness," or GNH.
00:02:29
Back in the 1970s,
00:02:31
our fourth king famously
pronounced that for Bhutan,
00:02:35
Gross National Happiness is more important
than Gross National Product.
00:02:39
(Applause)
00:02:44
Ever since,
00:02:46
all development in Bhutan
is driven by GNH,
00:02:51
a pioneering vision
that aims to improve the happiness
00:02:55
and well-being of our people.
00:02:58
But that's easier said than done,
00:03:00
especially when you are one
of the smallest economies in the world.
00:03:05
Our entire GDP is less
than two billion dollars.
00:03:09
I know that some of you here
are worth more --
00:03:12
(Laughter)
00:03:13
individually
00:03:15
than the entire economy of my country.
00:03:20
So our economy is small,
00:03:22
but here is where it gets interesting.
00:03:26
Education is completely free.
00:03:28
All citizens are guaranteed
free school education,
00:03:31
and those that work hard
are given free college education.
00:03:34
Healthcare is also completely free.
00:03:36
Medical consultation,
medical treatment, medicines:
00:03:40
they are all provided by the state.
00:03:43
We manage this
00:03:45
because we use our limited
resources very carefully,
00:03:49
and because we stay faithful
to the core mission of GNH,
00:03:55
which is development with values.
00:03:59
Our economy is small,
and we must strengthen it.
00:04:02
Economic growth is important,
00:04:04
but that economic growth must not come
from undermining our unique culture
00:04:09
or our pristine environment.
00:04:14
Today, our culture is flourishing.
00:04:17
We continue to celebrate
our art and architecture,
00:04:20
food and festivals,
00:04:23
monks and monasteries.
00:04:26
And yes, we celebrate
our national dress, too.
00:04:32
This is why I can wear my gho with pride.
00:04:37
Here's a fun fact:
00:04:39
you're looking
at the world's biggest pocket.
00:04:42
(Laughter)
00:04:45
It starts here,
00:04:47
goes around the back,
00:04:49
and comes out from inside here.
00:04:52
In this pocket
00:04:53
we store all manner of personal goods
00:04:56
from phones and wallets
00:05:00
to iPads, office files and books.
00:05:03
(Laughter)
00:05:04
(Applause)
00:05:06
But sometimes --
00:05:08
sometimes even precious cargo.
00:05:14
So our culture is flourishing,
00:05:16
but so is our environment.
00:05:19
72 percent of my country
is under forest cover.
00:05:23
Our constitution demands
that a minimum of 60 percent
00:05:28
of Bhutan's total land
shall remain under forest cover
00:05:32
for all time.
00:05:33
(Applause)
00:05:39
Our constitution,
00:05:41
this constitution,
00:05:44
imposes forest cover on us.
00:05:47
Incidentally, our king
used this constitution
00:05:52
to impose democracy on us.
00:05:54
You see, we the people
didn't want democracy.
00:05:57
We didn't ask for it, we didn't demand it,
00:06:00
and we certainly didn't fight for it.
00:06:03
Instead, our king imposed democracy on us
00:06:08
by insisting that he include it
in the constitution.
00:06:12
But he went further.
00:06:14
He included provisions in the constitution
00:06:18
that empower the people
to impeach their kings,
00:06:22
and included provisions in here
that require all our kings to retire
00:06:27
at the age of 65.
00:06:30
(Applause)
00:06:31
Fact is, we already have
a king in retirement:
00:06:36
our previous king, the Great Fourth,
00:06:40
retired 10 years ago
00:06:42
at the peak of his popularity.
00:06:45
He was all of 51 years at that time.
00:06:51
So as I was saying,
00:06:53
72 percent of our country
is under forest cover,
00:06:56
and all that forest is pristine.
00:06:59
That's why we are one of the few remaining
00:07:02
global biodiversity hotspots in the world,
00:07:05
and that's why we are
a carbon neutral country.
00:07:08
In a world that is threatened
with climate change,
00:07:10
we are a carbon neutral country.
00:07:15
Turns out, it's a big deal.
00:07:17
Of the 200-odd countries
in the world today,
00:07:20
it looks like we are the only one
00:07:22
that's carbon neutral.
00:07:25
Actually, that's not quite accurate.
00:07:29
Bhutan is not carbon neutral.
00:07:31
Bhutan is carbon negative.
00:07:35
Our entire country generates
2.2 million tons of carbon dioxide,
00:07:42
but our forests, they sequester
more than three times that amount,
00:07:47
so we are a net carbon sink
00:07:49
for more than four million tons
of carbon dioxide each year.
00:07:55
But that's not all.
00:07:56
(Applause)
00:07:58
We export most
of the renewable electricity
00:08:01
we generate from our fast-flowing rivers.
00:08:05
So today, the clean energy that we export
00:08:08
offsets about six million tons
of carbon dioxide in our neighborhood.
00:08:14
By 2020, we'll be exporting
enough electricity
00:08:18
to offset 17 million tons
of carbon dioxide.
00:08:22
And if we were to harness
even half our hydropower potential,
00:08:25
and that's exactly what we are working at,
00:08:29
the clean, green energy that we export
00:08:31
would offset something like
50 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.
00:08:38
That is more CO2 than what the entire city
of New York generates in one year.
00:08:45
So inside our country,
we are a net carbon sink.
00:08:48
Outside, we are offsetting carbon.
00:08:50
And this is important stuff.
00:08:53
You see, the world is getting warmer,
00:08:55
and climate change is a reality.
00:08:59
Climate change is affecting my country.
00:09:02
Our glaciers are melting,
00:09:04
causing flash floods and landslides,
00:09:06
which in turn are causing disaster
and widespread destruction in our country.
00:09:13
I was at that lake recently.
00:09:15
It's stunning.
00:09:18
That's how it looked 10 years ago,
00:09:21
and that's how it looked 20 years ago.
00:09:24
Just 20 years ago, that lake didn't exist.
00:09:27
It was a solid glacier.
00:09:31
A few years ago, a similar lake
00:09:34
breached its dams
00:09:37
and wreaked havoc in the valleys below.
00:09:42
That destruction
was caused by one glacier lake.
00:09:45
We have 2,700 of them to contend with.
00:09:50
The point is this:
00:09:52
my country and my people have done nothing
00:09:56
to contribute to global warming,
00:09:59
but we are already bearing the brunt
of its consequences.
00:10:05
And for a small, poor country,
one that is landlocked and mountainous,
00:10:09
it is very difficult.
00:10:12
But we are not going to sit
on our hands doing nothing.
00:10:14
We will fight climate change.
00:10:16
That's why we have promised
to remain carbon neutral.
00:10:22
We first made this promise in 2009
00:10:26
during COP 15 in Copenhagen,
00:10:30
but nobody noticed.
00:10:32
Governments were so busy
arguing with one another
00:10:35
and blaming each other
for causing climate change,
00:10:38
that when a small country
raised our hands and announced,
00:10:42
"We promise to remain
carbon neutral for all time,"
00:10:45
nobody heard us.
00:10:47
Nobody cared.
00:10:51
Last December in Paris,
00:10:54
at COP 21, we reiterated our promise
00:10:57
to remain carbon neutral
for all time to come.
00:11:01
This time, we were heard.
00:11:03
We were noticed, and everybody cared.
00:11:09
What was different in Paris
was that governments came round together
00:11:14
to accept the realities of climate change,
00:11:16
and were willing to come together
and act together and work together.
00:11:21
All countries, from the very small
to the very large,
00:11:25
committed to reduce
the greenhouse gas emissions.
00:11:30
The UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change
00:11:33
says that if these so-called
intended commitments are kept,
00:11:39
we'd be closer
to containing global warming
00:11:41
by two degrees Celsius.
00:11:46
By the way,
00:11:48
I've requested the TED organizers here
00:11:51
to turn up the heat in here
by two degrees,
00:11:56
so if some of you
are feeling warmer than usual,
00:11:59
you know who to blame.
00:12:03
It's crucial that all of us
keep our commitments.
00:12:07
As far as Bhutan is concerned,
00:12:09
we will keep our promise
to remain carbon neutral.
00:12:13
Here are some of the ways we are doing it.
00:12:16
We are providing free electricity
to our rural farmers.
00:12:20
The idea is that, with free electricity,
they will no longer have to use firewood
00:12:26
to cook their food.
00:12:28
We are investing in sustainable transport
00:12:31
and subsidizing the purchase
of electric vehicles.
00:12:34
Similarly, we are subsidizing
the cost of LED lights,
00:12:39
and our entire government
is trying to go paperless.
00:12:43
We are cleaning up our entire country
through Clean Bhutan, a national program,
00:12:47
and we are planting trees
throughout our country
00:12:51
through Green Bhutan,
00:12:53
another national program.
00:12:56
But it is our protected areas
00:12:58
that are at the core
of our carbon neutral strategy.
00:13:02
Our protected areas are our carbon sink.
00:13:05
They are our lungs.
00:13:08
Today, more than half
our country is protected,
00:13:12
as national parks, nature reserves
00:13:14
and wildlife sanctuaries.
00:13:17
But the beauty is that we've connected
them all with one another
00:13:21
through a network of biological corridors.
00:13:26
Now, what this means
00:13:27
is that our animals are free
to roam throughout our country.
00:13:33
Take this tiger, for example.
00:13:35
It was spotted
at 250 meters above sea level
00:13:38
in the hot, subtropical jungles.
00:13:42
Two years later, that same tiger
00:13:45
was spotted near 4,000 meters
00:13:48
in our cold alpine mountains.
00:13:51
Isn't that awesome?
00:13:53
(Applause)
00:13:57
We must keep it that way.
00:14:00
We must keep our parks awesome.
00:14:03
So every year, we set aside resources
to prevent poaching, hunting,
00:14:08
mining and pollution in our parks,
00:14:10
and resources to help communities
who live in those parks
00:14:16
manage their forests,
00:14:17
adapt to climate change,
00:14:19
and lead better lives while continuing
to live in harmony with Mother Nature.
00:14:24
But that is expensive.
00:14:26
Over the next few years,
our small economy won't have the resources
00:14:32
to cover all the costs that are required
to protect our environment.
00:14:37
In fact, when we run the numbers,
00:14:39
it looks like it'll take us
at least 15 years
00:14:41
before we can fully finance
all our conservation efforts.
00:14:47
But neither Bhutan,
00:14:49
nor the world
00:14:51
can afford to spend 15 years
going backwards.
00:14:56
This is why His Majesty the King
00:14:59
started Bhutan For Life.
00:15:02
Bhutan For Life gives us the time we need.
00:15:04
It gives us breathing room.
00:15:07
It is essentially a funding mechanism
00:15:09
to look after our parks,
00:15:11
to protect our parks,
00:15:13
until our government
can take over on our own fully.
00:15:17
The idea is to raise a transition fund
00:15:21
from individual donors,
corporations and institutions,
00:15:25
but the deal is closed only
after predetermined conditions are met
00:15:30
and all funds committed.
00:15:32
So multiparty, single closing:
00:15:36
an idea we borrowed from Wall Street.
00:15:39
This means that individual donors
can commit without having to worry
00:15:44
that they'll be left
supporting an underfunded plan.
00:15:49
It's something like a Kickstarter project,
00:15:51
only with a 15-year time horizon
00:15:54
and millions of tons
of carbon dioxide at stake.
00:15:58
Once the deal is closed,
00:16:01
we use the transition fund
to protect our parks,
00:16:05
giving our government time
to increase our own funding gradually
00:16:10
until the end of the 15-year period.
00:16:12
After that, our government
guarantees full funding forever.
00:16:20
We are almost there.
00:16:21
We expect to close later this year.
00:16:24
Naturally, I'm pretty excited.
00:16:26
(Applause)
00:16:32
The World Wildlife Fund
is our principle partner in this journey,
00:16:38
and I want to give them a big shoutout
00:16:41
for the excellent work
they are doing in Bhutan
00:16:44
and across the world.
00:16:45
(Applause)
00:16:49
Whew, it is getting warm in here.
00:17:04
I thank you for listening to our story,
00:17:07
a story of how we are keeping
our promise to remain carbon neutral,
00:17:11
a story of how we are keeping
our country pristine,
00:17:16
for ourselves, our children,
00:17:18
for your children and for the world.
00:17:22
But we are not here
to tell stories, are we?
00:17:25
We are here to dream together.
00:17:29
So in closing, I'd like to share
one more dream that I have.
00:17:34
What if we could mobilize
our leadership and our resources,
00:17:37
our influence and our passion,
00:17:40
to replicate the Bhutan For Life idea
to other countries
00:17:43
so that they too
00:17:46
can conserve their
protected areas for all time.
00:17:50
After all, there are many other countries
who face the same issues that we face.
00:17:53
They too have natural resources
00:17:56
that can help win the world's fight
for sustainability,
00:18:00
only they may not have the ability
to invest in them now.
00:18:03
So what if we set up Earth For Life,
00:18:06
a global fund, to kickstart
the Bhutan For Life throughout the world?
00:18:12
I invite you to help me,
00:18:14
to carry this dream beyond our borders
00:18:17
to all those who care
about our planet's future.
00:18:22
After all, we're here to dream together,
00:18:27
to work together,
00:18:28
to fight climate change together,
to protect our planet together.
00:18:33
Because the reality is
00:18:36
we are in it together.
00:18:38
Some of us might dress differently,
00:18:41
but we are in it together.
00:18:43
Thank you very much,
00:18:45
and kadrin chhe la. Thank you.
00:18:47
(Applause)
00:18:48
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
