Climate change impacts happiness

See how climate change affects some of the smallest countries in the world.

Bhutan, whose main sources of earning are tourism, agriculture and hydropower, climate change is showing a huge impact.

Till a few years ago, snow used to fall even in some of the most popular tourist spots and one could see snow capped mountains almost from every vista. Today, that has changed; snow is no longer on the agenda, only at higher altitudes. Worse, in summer mosquitoes take over – something which was unheard of. In the capital city Thimphu, for instance, air-conditioners, fans and mosquitoes have become ubiquitous in the summer?—an alien concept in the early ’90s.  any agencies have started advising their clients to carry a mosquito repellent and consider a malaria/dengue vaccination while visiting the country. 

In terms of agriculture, people are cultivating rice earlier in the year, growing vegetables like pumpkin and broccoli in Bumthang where it was significantly colder a decade ago, and relying more heavily on the weather forecast to determine when to plant and harvest. 

And in terms of electricity, through the year, the country exports electricity but come winter and it needs to import power from India. Wildflowers bloom at unpredictable times, landslides and heavy rainfall often disrupt regional flights, and storms and flashfloods are becoming common.

Bhutan being caught between India and China, the two largest emitters, indeed climate change does not recognize man-made borders.