No Harm, No Exclusion and No Neglect are three moral imperatives of our time. These are not slogans; they are a survival charter for a world already warmed, already unequal, and already out of second chances. Zero Harm speaks to the planet: stop the damage, if you can, repair what you have done. Zero Exclusion talks to people: let no community be left behind in the race to modernisation. Zero Neglect is communicating with institutions: keep the systems that make promisesin schools and hospitals, with regulators, among disaster responders. Together, they anchor TAP‑J, the Theory of Triple Accountability for Planetary Justice, providing a practical pathway for integrating climate justice into everyday development, especially across South Asia and most critically in Bangladesh.
Climate change is no longer an issue of the future, it’s a ledger of lossfor farmers coping with erratic rains, for families who fear that water they drink will make them sick, for coastal homeowners looking out into waters that threaten to take their land. Planetary justice also means ensuring that the burden of a crisis for which people in Africa contributed least is not borne most heavily by them, just as climate justice requires ensuring the transition to green economies is fair, affordable and accessible. TAP-J turns these values into actionable forces through the persistent inquiry of three questions: are we preventing environmental harm; are we expanding opportunities; and do our institutions deserve the confidence of the public? If the answer to any of those is “no”, policy must change direction.
Why does TAP-J matter so much for South Asia? Because the development story of region 8 is simultaneously inspiring and in peril. Rapid growth has raised millions up, but has also strained rivers, soils and cities, and exacerbated divisions between formal and informal workers, urban and rural households, the connected and disconnected youth. The deltaic geography and export‑led ambition of Bangladesh make the stakes particularly obvious: The same factories powering livelihoods here need now to win in supply chains where low carbon, ethical sourcing and transparent data are emerging as a price of entry. TAP-J gives policymakers and companies the ability to convert risk into strategysafeguarding ecosystems, expanding inclusion, and reinforcing governance in a one-portfolio approach versus disconnected projects.
At the heart of TAP‑J lies a renewed commitment to accountability, shaped by three core dimensions that guide this transformative framework.The Zero Harm Principle is based on the need for growth to be decoupled from destruction. In practice, it means ramping up clean energy while updating grids; establishing sector‑specific carbon budgets for industry; and scaling nature-based solutions, embanked polders that ebb and flow with tides, urban wetlands that soak up stormwater, mangrove buffers to protect coastlines. It is circular production in garments, leather, light engineering and electronics, creating products to wear for a long time that capture heat and water to use again while declaring emissions with credible verification. When environmental costs are honestly accounted, investments move from waste to efficiency and resilience; competitiveness is enhanced not weakened.
It is Zero Exclusion, not to exclude anyone from the green transition. This means paths to decent work and living wages; targeted support for microand small enterprises so they can meet new sustainability standards; and active inclusion of women, youth, migrants and persons with disabilities in training and leadership. Digital justice is required, affordable devices, reliable connections and grassroots digital and climate literacy can transform rural villages into nodes of creativity. Actual measures, apprenticeships that match employer need, stackable micro-credentials in green skills and PLAR let working people move ‘‘from twilight jobs to sunrise sectors’’ without being forgotten.
That is Zero Neglect, and without zero credibility is nothing! Strategies collapse without capable systems. For governments, that means, among other things, predictable regulation that spans election cycles, open data on climate and other risks, public spending and service delivery and effective redressal mechanisms. For companies, it’s the shift away from philanthropy‑based CSR to shared value; investing in the wellness of employees, local skills and restoring ecosystems not out of generosity but because they’re strategic resources, not charity.For communities, it is co‑developed local solutionsin disaster preparedness, social protection and resource management, serving those to whom they are responding, rather than one-size-fits-all solutions handpicked from far away.
How does TAP‑J play out in practice to address the interwoven climate and justice crises? For starters, it establishes measurable goals based upon the three zeros.National plans would contain carbon intensity targets sectoral (Zero Harm), inclusive employment and wage floors regionally by gender (Zero Exclusion) and service delivery benchmarks for schools, clinics, water and climate‑resilient infrastructure (Zero Neglect). Second, it aligns incentives. Public procurement can favour low‑carbon materials and ethical suppliers; tax credits can incentivise verified emissions reductions and inclusive hiring; concessional finance can de‑risk green upgrades for SMEs.Third, it creates strong feedback loops. Public dashboards displaying real‑time data on air, water,labour compliance, wages, and project delivery allow citizens, investors, and the press to monitor progress and hold every actor accountable.
In the context of Bangladesh, a TAP‑J roadmap is easily accomplished. It should start with a green competitiveness compactthat links access to export markets to factorylevel decarbonisation, energy efficiency and fair‑work certification. Pair this with a Just Transition Skills Mission accelerated navigation courses in solar O&M, efficient motor and boiler engineering, sustainable agriculture and environmental data analytics, provided by polytechnics, industry clusters and online platforms alike, with stipends for disadvantaged learners. Build Climate‑Smart Municipalities which integrate drainage upgrades, waste segregation and composting, rooftop solar and shaded, walkable streets, financed by municipal bonds and performance‑based grants. Scale water‑smart farming (salinity tolerant crops, regenerative practices, solar irrigation) in rural areas and connect the producers to digital marketplaces. At all levels, institutionalize integrity tech;e‑procurement, beneficial ownership registries and citizen report cards that make leaks and delays visible and fixable.
Others of South Asia’s neighbours can take the same playbook. Island states can focus on resilient ports and mangroves; those with mountain economies save watersheds and do early warning systems; bigger markets use green industrial policy to jump start domestic manufacturing of renewables and efficiency components. In each, the discipline is consistent, measure what matters; reward what works; fix what fails, out loud and together.
TAP‑J opens-up essential finance from the market by transforming values into credible results, drawing-in climate funds, blended‑finance partners and impact investors. A national TAP‑J registry, which tracks emissions and inclusion alongside institutional performance, reduces due‑diligence costs and steers capital where it’s increasingly working best. Their cost of capital is lower when factories display reduced carbon output, more women in skilled positions and good compliance. Grants and loans come to towns that curtail “flood days” while keeping schools in session. Politics and culture are hindrances, but TAP‑J assembles coalitions that last. In Bangladesh and more widely in South Asia, the choice of Zero Harm, Zero Exclusion, Zero Neglect is the choice for renewal, and a future based on justice.
Dr. Mohammad Rashed Hasan Polas
Assistant Professor, Strategic Research Institute (SRI)
Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
