Yangyel Lhaden
Baku, Azerbaijan—As negotiations continue at the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29), the head of Bhutanese delegation, Secretary Karma Tshering, is actively participating in various side events, plenaries, and speaking at pavilions, playing a pivotal role in elevating Bhutan’s climate story on the global stage.
Last year, informal discussions such at COP28 led to the successful inclusion of mountains in both the Global Stocktake (GST) and the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) decision texts.
This year, Secretary Karma Tshering took part in key talks, including the high-level dialogue on advancing the mountain agenda, organised by the Kyrgyz Republic, sessions at the Cryosphere Pavilion, and other high-level dialogues addressing the country’s climate challenges, among others.
At the mountain agenda dialogue, the Secretary expressed Bhutan’s ongoing support for mountain regions, alongside other nations like Kyrgyzstan and Nepal. He emphasised the need for a continued focus on the unique challenges faced by mountain ecosystems and communities.
The Secretary also shared the country’s vulnerabilities to climate change, highlighting the frequent extreme weather events and natural disasters like glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) and landslides that threaten mountain communities.
“With Bhutan’s recent graduation from least developed country status, the country now faces increased difficulty in securing financial support,” he said. “Stronger coordination among mountainous countries and simplified access to climate finance with fewer reporting burdens are crucial.”
At the ‘Road to Net Zero: Navigating the Energy Transition in South Asia’ event, the Secretary shared the country’s energy transition priorities, which includes both enhanced renewable energy deployment and energy diversification through fossil fuel substitution and energy efficiency.
“The country’s electricity grid is already 100 percent renewable, largely sourced from hydropower.,” the Secretary said. “However, there are challenges posed by growing emissions from sectors such as transport and manufacturing, despite the country’s carbon-negative status.”
He emphasised the need for resilient grids to accommodate intermittent renewable sources such as solar and wind and the importance of fostering electric mobility to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
On energy security, he discussed the country’s reliance on imported fossil fuels, particularly in winter when hydropower generation decreases. “Securing adequate funding for energy transition efforts remains a major obstacle, and we ask for increased support from multilateral development banks to bridge the financing gap and promote international cooperation for a global energy transition.”
At the Cryosphere Pavilion and during a side event with the Asian Development Bank, Secretary highlighted the country’s unique challenges related to hydropower, particularly its reliance on run-off-water scheme plants that were impacted by seasonal water variability.
“The country faces an excess of water during the summer monsoon and a shortage in winter, affecting energy production,” he said. “Bhutan is also grappling with the rapid retreat of glaciers, some of which are shrinking by 12 to 35 metres per year, exacerbating the risk of GLOF.”
To address these issues, Bhutan is focusing on diversifying its energy mix, aiming for 20 gigawatt of renewable energy capacity by 2040, with a plan for 15 gigawatts from hydropower and 5 gigawatt from solar energy, the Secretary said. “This will require an investment of USD 26 billion.”
Secretary also said that Bhutan is exploring reservoir-based hydropower systems and pumped storage to counter seasonal water variability. “The country is also developing strategies to monitor glaciers, implement flood or GLOF early warning systems, and mark the International Year of Glacial Preservation in 2025.”
Through these initiatives, Bhutan remains committed to maintaining its carbon-negative status and furthering its climate action efforts, he said. “Furthermore, Bhutan is employing nature-based solutions, such as sustainable forest management, agroforestry, and watershed restoration, to enhance climate resilience and strengthen its role in global climate leadership.”
As COP29 concludes this week, developing countries are pinning their hopes on the final decision text reflecting progress on the new climate finance goal.
Negotiations have focused on increasing climate finance to help countries align with the 1.5°C target and support the implementation of adaptation and mitigation projects.
This story is produced as part of the COP29 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organised by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Centre for Peace and Security.