One-third of the Himalayan glaciers are set to disappear even if emissions are stopped right away. Two-thirds will disappear by the end of the century if humans continue with the same level of emission. With these questions in mind, a sense of responsibility and purpose arose in a Bhutanese environmentalist during the peak of the COVID pandemic. Since then Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk has been working towards advocating on climate change. On World Environment Day today, let us walk through his journey.
The National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology also known as NCHM identified 2,979 water bodies in the country during the Bhutan Glacial Lake Inventory Survey in 2021. Out of the total, 567 within the four basins are classified as glacial lakes and 17 of them are declared as potentially dangerous.
On the other hand, over 70 per cent of the settlement is located along the four drainage basins. The increase in the temperature of the earth’s surface and the melting glaciers by the day poses a threat to the population.
Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk, an actor and environmentalist embarked on a journey for climate action after the pandemic. Jamyang started his cycling journey to advocate climate change and disseminate the message in the simplest way possible.
Last year, in August, Jamyang trekked for seven days, walking nine hours each day to collect melted ice in a discarded plastic bottle from Thorthomi Lake, a potentially dangerous glacial lake in the country.
He said the bottle stands for plastic pollution and melted ice represents the fast-disappearing glaciers due to climate change.
Hence, the bottle is a symbol of climate action. He cycled to 14 districts across the country visiting schools and colleges, raising awareness among the students for the Bhutan Edition 2022.
Jamyang embarked on the second edition of his journey in action on the 2nd of May this year.
“So, this campaign that I’m starting today is a continuation. And when we first conceived this campaign, we had this idea of taking this message, Bhutan’s message, a message from the Himalayas to the world.”
He has planned to take a year at a time and dedicate each to a different continent.
“So, this year it’s the Asia edition. And we will be biking across the Himalayas and taking this message to Dubai, where the COP28 climate summit is going to be held in December.”
Jamyang cycled for a week from Bhutan to Nepal and arrived in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu on the 10th of May. The journey was closely followed by Ben Clark, an American filmmaker to document Jamyang’s entire journey to the COP 28.
Ben was taken aback when Jamyang approached him to be his partner from half a world apart and said he could not possibly deny an offer which is for a good cause.
“It is the only carbonated-negative country in the entire world that does not contribute to climate change and does not contribute to pollution on a measurable level. And I couldn’t believe that these things, knowing about what could happen to Thorthormi, knowing what could happen, what happened in Punakha in 1994, I just couldn’t go to sleep at night thinking that I wouldn’t help, that I wouldn’t be a part of this because this is what our world needs,” said Ben Clark, film director.
“Now we will be resting for a couple of days, recovering and preparing for the next leg which is to trek to the Everest Base Camp and collect glacier ice from a sherpa who will summit Everest and bring that back,” said Jamyang Jamtsho.
Jamyang’s father also joined the team from Kathmandu and the team resumed the journey on the 13th of May.
“We have been driving for the past two days to get to Thamdara. So, this is the route that Tenzin Norgay and Edmund Hillary took almost 70 years ago,” added Jamyang.
The trek from Phakding to Lobuche, the base camp started on the 16th of May and ended on the 22nd. Jamyang cycled whenever it was possible. Other times, he trekked with his bike on his back.
Jamyang suffered a bad headache from the altitude but he said that it disappeared as the majestic view of the base camp and the tip of the Everest unfurled in front of him. He said he felt a sense of fulfilment as he held the bottle and explained its purpose to the Sherpa.
Jamyang will resume his ride in the fall. He will start his second leg in September with ice water collected from the glaciers in Bhutan and Nepal.
He will ride from Kathmandu, via Delhi, Istanbul and Karachi and ultimately towards Dubai. The campaign will deliver the bottle to the Bhutanese delegation at COP28 and request them to address the issue in front of the world leaders.
COP 28, the 28th Conference to the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or UNFCCC will take place in Dubai this year.
The UNFCCC strives to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.
Devika Pradhan
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
