One of the key terms from the reading that came to mind when I watched the TED talk was modernization. Bhutan is a very small country with only about 700,000 citizens, and the Prime Minister called it underdeveloped. The people living in Bhutan are very humble and seem to work hard to make their lives happy. The government has done a lot to modernize the small country and to keep it carbon neutral. The Prime Minister stated that free electricity is provided to rural farmers so that they can modernize their farms and don’t need to burn wood to cook their meals. The government also makes sure that all lights are switched to LEDs and cars are electric. The government is also completely paperless in its dealings and is planting more trees. All these things let me know that the country of Bhutan is modernizing and keeping up with the rest of the world.
The second key term from the reading that came to mind is International Development Assistance. This assistance would be provided to underdeveloped countries that would need a loan to bring them relief of sorts. When I think about Bhutan and how the country is run so efficiently, I don’t think they would need any assistance that is out there. The way the government has set things up, the country can sustain itself forever. The Prime Minister, in his talk, exclaimed that Bhutan is not carbon neutral but carbon negative. Because of the protected forests in their country and all that they are doing to lower their footprint, they create more energy than they need and can help others out with it. As an underdeveloped country, they can help other countries out with their energy needs.
The third key term is mental maps. The reading explains that mental maps are maps created by those people who live in the country and know the ins and outs of it all. The Prime Minister, in his talk, showed a map of Bhutan with a 72% forest cover. Because of the knowledge of the land, the people there were able to connect the forests together to create ways that all the animals in Bhutan are free to roam in those protected areas. With the knowledge of their own country and the need to protect the land and animals, they were able to create new maps to show which areas are protected. It would be amazing if we could somehow link all our national parks together in a way to protect them all better as well.
I love TED Talks as they are usually so powerful, and that is why I picked this one to watch. I was amazed to see that a small country like Bhutan can be such an inspirational leader to the rest of the world what it means to be mindful of the environment. Their ideas and implementations are a good blueprint that other countries could follow to also get closer to becoming carbon neutral. I love the idea that the Prime Minister ends with calling Earth for Life, where we all need to come together to protect our planet forever, so we can keep our resources.
The second key term from the reading that came to mind is International Development Assistance. This assistance would be provided to underdeveloped countries that would need a loan to bring them relief of sorts. When I think about Bhutan and how the country is run so efficiently, I don’t think they would need any assistance that is out there. The way the government has set things up, the country can sustain itself forever. The Prime Minister, in his talk, exclaimed that Bhutan is not carbon neutral but carbon negative. Because of the protected forests in their country and all that they are doing to lower their footprint, they create more energy than they need and can help others out with it. As an underdeveloped country, they can help other countries out with their energy needs.
The third key term is mental maps. The reading explains that mental maps are maps created by those people who live in the country and know the ins and outs of it all. The Prime Minister, in his talk, showed a map of Bhutan with a 72% forest cover. Because of the knowledge of the land, the people there were able to connect the forests together to create ways that all the animals in Bhutan are free to roam in those protected areas. With the knowledge of their own country and the need to protect the land and animals, they were able to create new maps to show which areas are protected. It would be amazing if we could somehow link all our national parks together in a way to protect them all better as well.
I love TED Talks as they are usually so powerful, and that is why I picked this one to watch. I was amazed to see that a small country like Bhutan can be such an inspirational leader to the rest of the world what it means to be mindful of the environment. Their ideas and implementations are a good blueprint that other countries could follow to also get closer to becoming carbon neutral. I love the idea that the Prime Minister ends with calling Earth for Life, where we all need to come together to protect our planet forever, so we can keep our resources.
Link to TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lc_dlVrg5M
[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025
[Written for GEOG 130G class UVU Spring 2022]
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025
