Author Identifier
Date of Award
2026
Keywords
climate change, wellbeing, Bhutan, Gross National Happiness, sustainability, governance, climate resilient development
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Integrated)
School
School of Science
First Supervisor
Angus Morrison-Saunders
Second Supervisor
David Blake
Abstract
Climate change has evolved into one of the biggest global challenges of the twenty first century reshaping ecological systems and social conditions with wide-ranging implications for human wellbeing. Bhutan offers a distinct context to explore interactions between climate change and wellbeing as it remains guided by its wellbeing-centred development philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH). At the same time, it remains highly vulnerable to climate change despite being the only carbon negative country in the world. Nonetheless, the intersections between climate change and GNH have not been systematically explored.
This research aims to explore the relationship between climate change and wellbeing through Bhutan’s pursuit of GNH and it is guided by three research questions: i) How does climate change affect the wellbeing of communities and how do communities address climate change? ii) What role does the GNH framework play in addressing the impacts of climate change? and iii) What are the opportunities to better incorporate climate change into the GNH framework? Drawing on a qualitative design, the research integrates systematic literature reviews, semi structured interviews, document analysis, and synthesis in exploring the research questions.
The first research question is addressed through two systematic literature reviews of global literature to examine the relationship between climate change and community wellbeing and the role of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in climate adaptation and resilience. Key findings show that climate change impacts on wellbeing are complex and multidimensional. Addressing these requires adaptation and resilience strategies that are socially just, locally grounded, context specific, and holistic. Further, where Indigenous Peoples are involved, key additional climate change considerations for wellbeing and adaptation are that IK offers local and time-tested adaptive approaches for managing land, water, agriculture, and biodiversity to deal with climate impacts with substantial implications for wellbeing. It requires more holistic approaches to development and shows that wellbeing and resilience are mutually reinforcing – wellbeing of communities is more sustainable when it has the capacity to adapt, and communities adapt more effectively when wellbeing exists. This reciprocal relationship shows that wellbeing should be a core component in designing and assessing climate action contrary to the conventional separation of climate action and wellbeing studies. The insights point to the need to integrate climate change and wellbeing objectives by adopting strategies that are context-specific and socially equitable.
The second research question is addressed through semi-structured interviews with 41 Bhutanese policy influencers - including politicians, civil servants, experts from Non- Government Organisations, and media professionals. GNH is evaluated as a development model and governance tool exploring Bhutan’s experience of addressing climate change. Key findings reveal both the promise and fragility of GNH in addressing climate change. While GNH provides a multidimensional and comprehensive governance framework embedding beyond- GDP dimensions like psychological wellbeing, time use, culture, and community vitality, its translation into practice is constrained by the absence of binding policy mechanisms, limited resources, and the inconsistent application of GNH. Moreover, it exposes Bhutan’s climate change paradox as the world’s only carbon negative country yet being highly vulnerable to climate impacts because of its location in the fragile Himalayan region highlighting tensions between aspiration and exposure. The findings emphasise the need for closer alignment between GNH and climate action.
The third research question draws on the same 41 Bhutan interviews combining this content with document analysis and literature synthesis to explore opportunities to integrate climate change into the GNH framework. The analysis and discussion also uses the insights for global application of wellbeing-centred Climate Resilient Development (CRD). Two complementary entry points are outlined for integrating climate change into the GNH framework. The first involved identifying and then embedding climate-wellbeing stressors into the 9 domains and 33 GNH indicators used in the nationwide survey that constructs the GNH index. The second focuses on identifying and integrating climate-wellbeing stressors into the GNH screening tool through the 23 determinants used in assessing policies. Building on Bhutan’s experience, this research identifies six global pathways to operationalise wellbeing-centred CRD. It includes: i) strengthening governance and leadership, ii) embedding wellbeing metrics into climate policy instruments, iii) advancing knowledge pluralism and participatory co-production, iv) linking local resilience to global frameworks, v) mobilising finance for wellbeing-oriented climate action, and vi) multi-level integration.
Overall, this research advances the understanding of climate change and wellbeing through Bhutan’s pursuit of GNH. Across the three research questions, the findings show that climate change undermines multiple dimensions of wellbeing; that GNH—despite its multidimensional strengths—faces governance and implementation constraints in addressing climate impacts; and that embedding climate-wellbeing stressors into both the GNH index and the policy screening process offers a structured path for aligning climate action with GNH’s development vision. Together, these findings illustrate that climate change and wellbeing considerations are mutually reinforcing, that the transformative potential of GNH depends on coherent mechanisms that translate its principles into practice, and that Bhutan’s wellbeing-centred approach provides actionable insights for operationalising CRD.
The contribution to knowledge of this research lies in three areas. First, it reframes climate change as a wellbeing issue by demonstrating how multidimensional wellbeing offers a coherent analytical and policy lens for climate action. Second, it provides the first empirically grounded approaches for integrating climate-wellbeing stressors into Bhutan’s GNH measurement and policy screening instruments. Third, it extends the Bhutan experience to global relevance by outlining six pathways for operationalising wellbeing-centred CRD. Collectively, it offers a novel and practical foundation for future research, policy design, and wellbeing-oriented climate action.
Recommended Citation
Dorji, T. (2026). Understanding climate change and wellbeing through Bhutan's pursuit of Gross National Happiness. Edith Cowan University. https://doi.org/10.25958/hzem-2943