Environmental justice in India

Abstract

The chapter provides an overview of the institutional and policy context in which various components of environmental justice have emerged in India. The neoliberal policies introduced in the early 1990s influenced the reforms brought to the environmental impact assessment regime, the judiciary and other institutions of environmental governance. The establishment of the National Green Tribunal and its implications for environmental justice, environmental protection and the poor are discussed at length. Drawing upon theoretical insights from legal and development scholars, the chapter introduces the conceptual framework used for the book. It questions the traditional conception of environmental justice and underlines the importance of the recognitional, procedural, distributive and restorative aspects of environmental and social justice in India. The chapter includes a summary of the major contribution made by each chapter of the book.