Bhutan's Carbon-Negative Model as a Blueprint for Climate-Responsible Business in South Asia

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-561-4_34How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Carbon Negative Economy; Environmental Ethics; Green Business Strategy; Bhutan Sustainability Model; Climate-Responsible Business; South Asia Climate Policy

Abstract

Bhutan stands as the world's only carbon-negative country - a remarkable feat achieved through deliberate environmental governance, deep-rooted cultural values, and forward-looking policies. This paper explores Bhutan’s carbon-negative development model as a framework for reimagining business responsibility across South Asia. By drawing from Bhutan’s commitment to Gross National Happiness (GNH), sustainable forestry, and renewable energy initiatives, the study identifies core policy levers and value systems that enable a low-emission, high-impact economy. The paper investigates how Bhutan's practices — such as state-led carbon sequestration, green financing, and ethical leadership — can inform a climate-responsible business paradigm in neighboring nations like India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Through a comparative analysis of environmental policies and ESG adoption across South Asia, the study develops a business-oriented framework aligned with climate ethics and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also highlights the role of local businesses and SMEs in driving carbon-conscious innovation and proposes a regional roadmap for transitioning toward net-zero growth models. The research highlights that Bhutan’s climate-first approach is not only a moral imperative but also an economic opportunity for businesses seeking long-term sustainability, brand integrity, and regulatory alignment in an era of increasing climate risk.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Oisik Bhattacharjya
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/23
TI  - Bhutan's Carbon-Negative Model as a Blueprint for Climate-Responsible Business in South Asia
BT  - Proceedings of the Indo-Bhutan Social Science Conference 2025 (IBSSC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 381
EP  - 397
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-561-4_34
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-561-4_34
ID  - Bhattacharjya2026
ER  -