Environmental conservation and GNH
Among all the living beings on earth, there are a few who have witnessed history and stories of people who have come and gone to give way to the new. Those that stand tall and embrace the earth around them in grace and beauty are called trees.
What stories would tress tell if they knew the language we understand? I remember growing up next to an old oak tree. I remember resting my head on it and climbing it, finding shade under it. The tree was like the guardian of my playground. As the years went by, the old oak tree had to give way to concrete buildings. My playground was no more, and my home was different.
How many oak trees have we killed for human settlement and consumption? When we talk and preach about environmental conservation, it is mostly about big theories without the value of life in it.
We talk about cleaning campaigns and voluntary deeds, but are we making conscious efforts to respect the nature around us. We are nurtured by the nature but do we even take time to appreciate its beauty.
As a nation steeped in the Buddhist tradition and way of life, Bhutan believes that all things in nature are interconnected, that even trees have a life. The concept of Gross National Happiness translates this belief of interconnectedness and the value of it.
In the GNH context, if we concentrate only on the gross national product, the lust for wealth and monetary gains will not leave any scope for environmental conservation. Environmental conservation and GNH are inextricably interwoven and indispensable to each other. Without environmental conservation, GNH is inconsequential and without standing by GNH environment sustainability can never be attained.
When the National Assembly resolved that the country should forever maintain a minimum of 60 percent of its land under forest cover (National Forest Policy, 1974), our government was stressing on sustainable development policy. Today our country has received global acclaim and recognition for maintaining its “excellent environmental track record.”
We take a glimpse of New York City, Paris, London, Perth City or California on TV and construct notions of the nations around the world. Where could we find the beauty of nature, the potent source of delight and solace – meadows, streams and rich biological diversity. The nature poet, William Wordsworth, said, “The things which I have seen I now can see no more.” The great thinkers like Wordsworth have lost faith in the consumer-driven world. The beauty of the mother nature, which our forefathers saw, cannot be seen by the present generation.
Our government is totally committed to the conservation of natural resources. We should move forward with confidence and show the world that we can preserve our natural environment while undergoing a rapid economic development. We received the United Nations Environment Programme’s Champion of the Earth award because the world believed in us. We must preserve this legacy and maintain an excellent environmental track record for all time to come.
As the future of our nation lies in our hands, we must see if we can handover the same beauty of nature to posterity or do we want our future generations to be all urban dwellers? Where could we find GNH. Is it in a city’s turbulent world where you don’t even know the person staying nextdooR? Or is it in the rural areas where our culture is? What can we do to make the dream of His Majesty a reality, so that we live and value it with pride? It is our duty to ask what we can do to make the dream of our monarchs the dream of people. It is our duty to uphold His Majesty’s dream of “one nation, one people” which calls for loyalty and effort of the government as well as the people.
Promoting GNH and conserving environment can never be done by the government alone. However, it has made a fair share of contribution. The formation of National Environment Commission, formulating a National Environment Strategy (the government’s decision to follow “The Middle Path”), Environmental Impact Assessments, the sustainable development approach and the policy to maintain a rich biological diversity are a testimony to the government’s wise sustainable development policy.
By Sangay Wangchuk (Bhutan Observer)