March 3, 2025
THIMPHU – The devastating flood following incessant rainfall in Dechencholing, Thimphu on August 10 last year wasn’t just another extreme weather event—it was a warning. Bhutan, the world’s first carbon-negative country, is far from immune to the climate crisis.
The past year brought unrelenting storms, deadly floods, and record-breaking heat, testing the country’s resilience against forces largely beyond its control. And yet, as world leaders convened at global climate summits, pledging billions to fight a crisis they helped create, little of that funding trickled down to nations like Bhutan—small, vulnerable, and increasingly on the front lines.
A monsoon like no other
The National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) had warned of a particularly harsh monsoon. The rains came as predicted, but their intensity was unprecedented.
June began with average precipitation, but by mid-July, heavy downpours triggered flash floods across the country. On July 15, torrents of water surged through the Begana Guru Lhakhang stream in Thimphu. Less than a month later, on August 5, another flood struck Bumthang’s Lamay Monastery.
Then, on August 17, a deluge swept through Isuna, Paro, and Gidakom. The next day, rising waters from the Bayta Chhu river affected villages in Beta, Gela, and Tokha in Gangtey gewog, Wangdue.
But it was the Dechencholing flood that inflicted the greatest toll—displacing 158 residents, who sought temporary shelter at the Royal Bodyguard mess while others stayed with relatives.
The flood damaged 10 buildings, including four under construction, with structures suffering from broken doors, windows, and walls, while ground-floor rooms were filled with muck. Of the 22 huts in the Satellite Town, 14 were affected. Vehicle damage was also significant, with one car washed away, eight remaining in good condition, and several others sustaining damage.
The final stretch of monsoon, following incessant rainfall after Blessed Rainy Day, proved even more challenging which caused roadblocks, stranded travellers, triggered landslides that damaged water transmission lines. Between September 26 and 29 alone, Bhutan’s Department of Surface Transport recorded at least 30 roadblocks.
In Thimphu, a landslide on September 28 damaged water transmission pipelines from the Dodena source, affecting the water supply to parts of the city.
The hottest year on record
According to the World Meteorological Organisation, 2024 was the hottest year on record. For the first time in history, global temperatures surpassed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels—reflecting the world’s failure to limit warming as outlined in the Paris Agreement.
The world is facing the brunt of global warming, with climate change worsening, and notably higher extreme weather events and Bhutan is no exception—even though it plays little to no role in global climate change, being the first carbon-negative country in the world.
Greenhouse gas levels last year were 40 percent higher than they were 20 years ago and continue to rise, despite the first United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP) meeting in 1995 aimed at reducing emissions.
COP 29: A disappointment
Bhutan attended COP 29 as a developing country for the first time, having graduated from Least Developed Country (LDC) status. Expectations were high for what was dubbed the “Finance COP,” where wealthier nations were supposed to set new climate finance goals to replace the expired USD 100 billion annual pledge to help vulnerable countries.
Yet, when the negotiations concluded, the results were underwhelming. While developing nations had pushed for a commitment of $1.3 trillion annually by 2035, wealthy countries pledged a mere $300 billion per year—a fraction of what was needed. Even that amount lacked clear timelines or enforcement mechanisms.
The reality is that the highest polluters—the wealthy nations of the Global North—continue to fall short of their financial obligations to the Global South, where the most climate-vulnerable countries are located. Under the Paris Agreement, developed countries are mandated to provide financial support to developing nations for climate action, following the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities.”
At the crossroads
Bhutan ranks 38th among the most climate-vulnerable countries but falls to 62nd in preparedness, according to the State of Climate in Asia Report 2023. The government estimates it needs $385 million for adaptation and $600 million for mitigation in the short term, as outlined in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) report. However, funds that remain elusive.
Still, Bhutan has not lost sight of its environmental ambitions. In 2024, the country hosted its first-ever Global Tiger Conference in Paro, to raise USD 1 billion for tiger conservation.
As 2024 drew to a close, Bhutan stood at a crossroads—a country celebrated for its environmental stewardship, yet increasingly left to fend for itself in the fight against climate change. The hard question is—how much longer can a small Himalayan kingdom shoulder the weight of a crisis it didn’t create?