CONSIDER A TREE

Sandwiched between India and China is a little known Buddhist Kingdom by the name Bhutan. A place of dramatic landscapes to say the least. However, the most peculiar thing about Bhutan is that its the only carbon negative nation on earth, which means that its carbon footprint is neutral, instead of adding carbon into the atmosphere, Bhutan removes carbon from the environment.

Bhutan has been able to achieve this magnificent feat despite it being a poor landlocked nation with a population of a paltry 807,000 citizens. It is however not by fluke that they have been able to achieve carbon negativity. The people of Bhutan have deliberately set in in their legislation to ensure that in stead of unrestrained industrialization, they choose to balance economic growth with social development, environmental stability and cultural preservation. The forest cover has been capped at a minimum of 60%. The result of this is the country has been able to provide free education and healthcare for all of its citizens.

In contrast to the thriving garden that is Bhutan,many African nations, and more so our very own seem to care very little about the quality of air and of the environment. Where legislation exists, the implementation is flimsy, as recently the Cabinet Secretary of Tourism in all grandeur stood before media houses and remarked that 400 jumbos had been lost to drought. For a nation that depends so heavily on tourism, such a declaration would have been fit to have those culpable hanging by the hang mans noose, but hey, we still have much more left right?Wrong.

We need to be cognizant of the fact that it is from our environment and the sustainable use of our natural resources that all other forms of economic development stem from. If we destroy our rivers and forests then the roads are useless for whence shall the food come from?

“Education, if it means anything, should not take people away from the land, but instill in them even more respect for it, because educated people are in a position to understand what is being lost. The future of the planet concerns all of us, and all of us should do what we can to protect it. As I told the foresters, and the women, you don’t need a diploma to plant a tree.” 
―Wangari Maathai