This interdisciplinary collection examines social equity and environmental justice in India. It assesses the effectiveness of environmental policies and institutions in rendering justice for marginalized communities while ensuring protection of the environment. It also analyses the influence of the neoliberal state and its political economies on the development and outcomes of these policies and institutions. The book provides a unique perspective on environmental justice because of its consistent emphasis on social justice, rather than the prevailing predominant analyses from legal or environmental perspectives. It explores the themes of effectiveness and equity as they pertain to public policy instruments, such as environmental impact assessment, environmental licensing and enforcement, public hearings, and environmental activism strategies. The four interlinked dimensions of environmental justice, namely recognitional justice, procedural justice, distributive justice, and restorative justice, provide the core of the book’s conceptual framework. The contributions draw on ideas and methods from development studies, environmental geography, environmental law and policy, natural resource management, public administration, and political economy The book concludes by considering planning, policy and institutional reforms and community-based initiatives that are needed to promote and protect environmental justice in India. Offering an important reference for researchers and scholars, this book will appeal to those in law, geography, environmental studies, natural resource management, development studies, sociology, and political science. It will also be of interest to community-based researchers, environmentalists and other civil society activists, natural resource managers, and policy makers.

The efficacy of the EIA lies in meticulously applying the theory and concepts of the EIA in framing environmental policies and regulations, conducting and reviewing the EIA studies and EIA follow-up. This book critically examines the different components of the Indian EIA practice and highlights the learnings. Given that the case study method is well-recognized for learning and is accepted in top-ranking institutions, the book will immensely benefit academics in environmental science, environmental engineering, environmental planning, environmental management, business management, project management, economics and public administration at graduate and research levels. It should provoke researchers to pursue empirical studies and to devise innovative methodologies to evaluate different elements of the EIA practice to help ensure EIA objectivity. The book will also be handy to environment ministries, EIA professionals, project proponents and multilateral institutions, such as the UNEP, World Bank, ADB, AfDB, ODA and ENGOs.

Environmental law is a broad discipline covering issues such as nature conservation, the prevention or abatement of pollution, and waste management. It also encompasses concerns related to natural resources, such as forests, minerals, and fisheries, and the balance between their use and conservation. India has been at the forefront of jurisprudential developments among countries with similar environmental, geographical, socio-economic, and cultural conditions. Concurrently, the country has been receptive to ideas and principles arising from other parts of the world or from international law. The growth of environmental and natural resources law in India has been sustained in equal measure by growing environmental awareness and the increasingly dire nature of the problems associated with the environment and natural resources, ranging from local issues to the global climate crisis. At the same time, the continuous push for development has not abated, leading to recurrent pressure to weaken existing standards for environmental protection and the management and use of natural resources. The Oxford Handbook of Environmental and Natural Resources Law in India offers the most comprehensive coverage of the diverse and complex discipline of environmental and natural resources law in India over the past fifty years. With forty-two contributions from law and non-law scholars, the Handbook presents diverse perspectives on several areas including biodiversity, climate change, water, forests, agriculture, health, resource extraction, and industrial development. By departing from the existing approach that examines natural resources law and environmental law separately, The Oxford Handbook of Environmental and Natural Resources Law in India offers a much-needed integrated analysis of the development of domestic jurisprudence vis-à-vis the environment and natural resources.

Prosopis (Prosopis juliflora) is a xerophyte which, in its native habitats has been a desert plant. As long as it was confined to that habitat, P. juliflora was a great resource, improving the region's micrometeorology, binding its sandy soil, and providing shelter, fuel, feed, food, medicines, and cosmetics to the people of such regions. In particular, for the economically weaker inhabitants, P.juliflora was a lifeline.But when P. juliflora was indiscriminately introduced in other regions of the world in a hope to derive similar benefits from it, things began to go awry. Indeed, among the invasive species of plants which are spreading at an alarming rate in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, P.juliflora is arguably the most hardy and resilient. It is growing so explosively that it even enters roads and homes, driving humans out of their dwellings. The resulting damage to biodiversity is enormous. This book highlights the dual role played so far by P. juliflora and itemizes the facets that make it a blessing in some contexts and a bane in other contexts.Authored by leading experts in the field, Prosopis juliflora: Attributes, Impact, Utilization is the first title of its kind to comprehensively discuss this hardy plant species. It will be an essential read for students, researchers and governmental agencies interested in plant biology, forestry, plant ecology, invasive plant species and environmental science. - Summarizes all the key information available on P. juliflora, from its origin and systematics to its future prospects - Discusses colonization, utilization and eradication - Authored by leading experts in the field with over 40 years of experience

This interdisciplinary collection examines social equity and environmental justice in India. It assesses the effectiveness of environmental policies and institutions in rendering justice for marginalized communities while ensuring protection of the environment. It also analyses the influence of the neoliberal state and its political economies on the development and outcomes of these policies and institutions. The book provides a unique perspective on environmental justice because of its consistent emphasis on social justice, rather than the prevailing predominant analyses from legal or environmental perspectives. It explores the themes of effectiveness and equity as they pertain to public policy instruments, such as environmental impact assessment, environmental licensing and enforcement, public hearings, and environmental activism strategies. The four interlinked dimensions of environmental justice, namely recognitional justice, procedural justice, distributive justice, and restorative justice, provide the core of the book’s conceptual framework. The contributions draw on ideas and methods from development studies, environmental geography, environmental law and policy, natural resource management, public administration, and political economy The book concludes by considering planning, policy and institutional reforms and community-based initiatives that are needed to promote and protect environmental justice in India. Offering an important reference for researchers and scholars, this book will appeal to those in law, geography, environmental studies, natural resource management, development studies, sociology, and political science. It will also be of interest to community-based researchers, environmentalists and other civil society activists, natural resource managers, and policy makers.

This book approaches environmental, climate, and social justice comprehensively and interlinked. The contributors, predominantly from the Global South and have lived experiences, challenge the eurocentrism that dominates knowledge production and discourses on environmental and climate [in] justices. The collection of works balances theoretical, empirical, and practical aspects to address environmental and climate justice challenges through the lens of social justice. This book gives voice to scholars of the Global South and uses an interdisciplinary approach to show the complexity of the problem and the opportunities for solutions, making this book a powerful resource in teaching, research, and advocacy efforts. The innovativeness of this approach stems from the use of narratives, scientific explanation, and thematic analysis to present the arguments in each chapter of this edited book. Overall, each chapter of this book acts as a powerful resource in teaching, research, and advocacy efforts. This book fills a gap in the Global South production of environmental, climate, and social justice. It provides in-depth knowledge to the readers and raises their critical thinking about key elements/discussions of justice issues of environmental conflicts and climate change. The book is a useful read to a general audience interested in the topic of climate, environment, and development politics.

This edited collection explores a diverse range of climate (in)justice case studies from the Majority World – where most of humans and non-humans live. It is also the site of the most severe impacts of climate change and home to some of the key solutions for the climate crisis. The collection brings together 12 chapters featuring the work of over 30 authors from around the globe. The impacts of climate change are disproportionately affecting individuals, communities, and countries in the Majority World who historically have contributed little to rising global temperatures. The 12 chapters focus on a range of cross-cutting themes, demonstrating both individual and collective experiences of climate change and struggles for achieving climate justice from the Majority World. This includes activism, resistance, and social movement organizing in India and Brazil; lived experiences and understandings of frontline communities in Bangladesh and South Africa; consequences of and responses to disasters in Mozambique and Puerto Rico; and contested accounts, narratives, and futures in the Maldives and Pakistan, among other topics. By adopting a decolonial lens, this book provides rich empirical content, insightful comparisons, and novel conceptual interventions. It foregrounds climate justice from an intersectional perspective and contributes to the ongoing efforts by scholars and activists to address epistemic injustice in climate change research, policy, and practice. It will appeal to undergraduate and graduate-level students, academics, activists, policymakers, and members of the public concerned with the impacts and inequalities of climate change in the Majority World.

Rampant deforestation, rising carbon emissions, and more unprecedented threats are creating chaos and turmoil for the environment. The delicate balance between nature and humanity seems to waver on the brink of collapse. Climate change exacerbates standard occurrences of natural disasters, and endangers countless species. Amid these daunting challenges, the need for comprehensive research and actionable solutions has never been greater. Global Challenges for the Environment and Climate Change draws upon the latest research and empirical findings, and offers a roadmap for navigating the complexities of our interconnected world. Exploring topics such as climate change, sustainable consumption, and global governance equips readers with the knowledge and insights needed to effect meaningful change.

Urban centres are bastions of inequalities, where poverty, marginalization, segregation and health insecurity are magnified. Minorities and the poor – often residing in neighbourhoods characterized by degraded infrastructures, food and job insecurity, limited access to transport and health care, and other inadequate public services – are inherently vulnerable, especially at risk in times of shock or change as they lack the option to avoid, mitigate and adapt to threats. Offering both theoretical and practical approaches, this book proposes critical perspectives and an interdisciplinary lens on urban inequalities in light of individual, group, community and system vulnerabilities and resilience. Touching upon current research trends in food justice, environmental injustice through socio-spatial tactics and solution-based approaches towards urban community resilience, Resilience, Environmental Justice and the City promotes perspectives which transition away from the traditional discussions surrounding environmental justice and pinpoints the need to address urban social inequalities beyond the build environment, championing approaches that help embed social vulnerabilities and resilience in urban planning. With its methodological and dynamic approach to the intertwined nature of resilience and environmental justice in urban cities, this book will be of great interest to students, scholars and practitioners within urban studies, environmental management, environmental sociology and public administration.