The Bhutan NAPA preparation has been a timely opportunity to look at the country?s climate change related vulnerabilities in its unique geographical setting. The peaceful Kingdom nestled among the highest mountainous regions of the globe has enjoyed political peace, stability and development progress for the last 100 years, but the process objectively showed how highly vulnerable the country is to effects of climate change given its fragile mountain eco-systems, high dependency on monsoon rains, and the ever present threats of Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) from its northern mountain ranges.
The process for the first time involved looking at effects of climate change as a threat mainly to the largely agrarian population that still depends on subsistence agriculture for their daily livelihood. Given past trends, the threat from GLOFs is now more than ever imminent due to evidence of temperature increases from the global warming; the incessant and frequent flooding and flash floods, especially in the summer of 2004 was a stark reminder of the deadly effects of climate change and environmental degradationas witnessed especially in the eastern regions of the country.
The fact that Bhutan?s economy is highly dependant on hydropower resources, constituting over 12% of the GDP, is alarming given the risks from adverse impacts of climate change to the hydropower infrastructure. What was evident from the process was that not only human lives and livelihoods are at risk but the very backbone of the nation?s economy is at the mercy of climate change hazards. Thus important adaptation activities to GLOF threats are lowering level of dangerous lakes upstream, mapping of hazard zones, and watershed management in critical areas. It was also evident that all future hydropower plants ? being capital intensive- should be installed only after careful assessment of their optimal capacity. Studies show substantial seasonal changes in water flow levels for extended periods of the year that do not fully utilize plant capacities; further such plants need to take into account the effects of climate change, global warming and GLOF that could pose high risks to the infrastructure.
The NAPA process not only adhered closely to the guidelines given by the LDC Expert Group (ref. Annotated Guidelines for NAPA preparation), it was conducted in a transparent manner. The process began with the assessment of vulnerabilities due to climate change across all development sectors represented by the five main working groups (Agriculture and Livestock, Forestry and Biodiversity, Health, Water Resources and Energy, and Natural Disasters and Infrastructure). A total of over 30 task force members participated vigorously at each stage of the process. After hazards and vulnerabilities were identified, the groups then worked on key adaptation strategies that would best address those vulnerabilities.
National Environment Commission, Royal Government of Bhutan
