Bhutan
Credit: Bhutanfound.org
Bhutan’s prime minister has been busy test-driving cars in the mountainous country. Why? The Bhutanese are aiming to convert all government-owned vehicles and taxis to electric cars supplied by companies such as Nissan, Tesla, and Mahindra & Mahindra. Earlier this year, they cemented plans with Nissan to provide a few hundred Nissan Leafs to the Himalayan kingdom.
It’s a natural step for a country whose environmental policy has captured global attention. Bhutan’s progressive environmental standards are so impressive, they’re becoming discussion points at climate change and environmental events.
National Geographic celebrated Bhutan last month, a country it first featured in the magazine 100 years ago. Back then, British government officer and civil engineer John Claude White wrote about the country in the April 1914 edition of National Geographic, which the magazine said “lifted the veil on a mysterious land hidden in the world’s highest mountains.” That mysterious land has become less exotic over the years; the Bhutanese royal family opened its doors to visitors in 1974 and introduced television to its people in 1999. […]
This doesn’t surprise me in the least. There are so many factors that have supported slow growth and positive change in Bhutan for decades: a) It’s isolation which limited the number of visitors and b) prevented the public from the influence of major media and the Internet, video games, films, etc. c) A limited number of visas are issued to foreigners each year. d) Last, but not least, their religion is rooted in Bonpo, an older relative of Tibetan Buddhism with a history of shamanism, which in turn holds revered space for plants, animals and all living things.