Laya, the largest and highest settlement in northwest Bhutan, located at an altitude of 3,820 metres above sea level, is getting warmer. Even if there is no scientific evidence pertaining to the gewog, locals are feeling the heat.

Locals are experiencing unusually warmer winters evident from the fodder grass thriving even in November, ice not blocking their piped water sources or the vegetables they grow in late autumn. An octogenarian said that the brooks and streams would be frozen  around the time of the Royal Highland Festival, in late October, when he was a young boy. In the short term, it is a boon. They can prolong their stay with the cattle and grow new food.

In the long term it is no good for Laya or communities that are vulnerable to climate change impact. In our case, located in a fragile and young Himalayan ecosystem,  the impacts of climate change are real. Layaps are worried about not finding as many cordyceps, the cash cow, as they did in the past. It may be over harvesting, but it could also be the warming temperatures. A community that relies much on cordyceps would be at loss if increasing temperatures are driving changes.

It is not Laya alone. The impact of climate change could spell disasters along the Punakha-Wangdue valley. The settlement and the huge hydro power infrastructures could be at risk from glacial outburst floods (GLOF). We have experienced GLOFs in the past and with experts warning of receding glaciers and thawing moraine dams, the danger is clear and present.

What is concerning for us is that climate change and its impacts are beyond our hands or actions. We may be carbon neutral, known for our strict conservation policies or rich environment, but what happens in the region or the world would have direct bearing on us.

In the context of the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) and Bhutan, we are among the losers. The summit, dubbed as the “Finance COP”, was expected to set ambitious new climate finance goals to replace the expired USD 100 billion annual climate finance pledge. However, the final agreement fell short of the funding target with developing nations agreeing to provide USD 300 billion per year to help developing countries fight climate change by 2035, with a vague promise to work together to scale up financing toward the USD1.3 trillion goal promised earlier.

The reality is that developing countries that are bearing the brunt of climate change,  including Bhutan, will have to mitigate, adapt, fight climate change or bear the loss with or without funds. Many developing countries opposed the decision because the Paris Agreement, which was adopted by many countries in 2015 states that developed countries — who caused almost all historical carbon emissions — must pay to the developing world—which pollutes much less but faces the worst effects of climate change—for supporting their climate actions.

For tiny countries like Bhutan, we have to bear the brunt of climate change even if it is not our fault. The reality is that we will pay the most if we cannot convince the global north to help us offset the impact of climate change. The priorities are different. We can fund conflicts and wars with billions of dollars that are adding to climate change, but not initiatives to mitigate the impact of climate change.

As the delegates return home from the COP29 Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, we expect ideas and initiatives to fight climate change in our own ways.