Table of Contents

List of Tables; List of Figures; Preface and Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction Prakash Kashwan; 2. Urban Climate Justice Eric Chu and Kavya Michael; 3. How Just and Democratic is India's Solar Energy Transition? An Analysis of State Solar Policies in India Karnamadakala Rahul Sharma and Parth Bhatia; 4. Extractive Regimes in the Coal Heartlands of India: Difficult Questions for a Just Energy Transition Vasudha Chhotray; 5. Climate Justice Implications of the Relationship between Economic Inequality and Carbon Emissions in India Haimanti Bhattacharya; 6. Evaluating India's National and State Climate Action Plans through a Climate Justice Lens Arpitha Kodiveri and Rishiraj Sen; 7. Environmental Social Movements: Lessons for Climate Justice in India Prakash Kashwan; 8. Caste Justice is Climate Justice Srilata Sirkar; 9. Water Justice at the Intersections of Gender, Caste, and Climate Change Vaishnavi Behl and Prakash Kashwan; 10. Realizing Climate Justice Through Agroecology and Women's Collective Land Rights Ashlesha Khadse and Kavita Srinivasan; 11. Conclusion: Pathways to Policies and Praxis of Climate Justice in India Prakash Kashwan and Eric Chu; Index.

Promotional Information

Academics, activists, and artists offer historically and socially grounded perspectives on climate justice in Indian society and politics.

About the Author

Prakash Kashwan is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts. At the time of preparation of this volume, he was Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut. He is the author of Democracy in the Woods (Oxford University Press, 2017), an editor of the journal Environmental Politics, and Co-founder of the Climate Justice Network.

Reviews

“There are growing calls for climate justice but what do they mean in a country like India haunted by centuries of oppression and injustice? This important volume demonstrates both conceptually and empirically how India's climate crisis is interlocked with multiple socio-political, economic and ecological crises and inequalities. Going beyond the usual international focus, Kashwan and collaborators unpack these issues at national, state-levels and in specific sectoral areas. Through rich historically and empirically grounded analyses, the contributors urge us to reimage alternative climate futures and show how transformative action to tackle climate change can help create a more just and inclusive society. Compelling reading for scholars, practitioners and activists in India and beyond.” Lyla Mehta, Institute of Development Studies, UK and Norwegian University of Life Sciences

"We cannot neuter politics from environmental concerns. Climate change action is not about new disruptive technologies but about disruptive politics of inclusion and justice. The world is interdependent and needs to think and act as one. This politics of marginalization, powerlessness and inequity is not only at the global scale but national and local. This is why Climate Justice in India, edited by Prakash Kashwan, must be your essential reading. This truth is inconvenient but must be understood as this perspective on what we need to do better in India – to walk lightly on Earth – and to listen to the environmentalism of the poor – is crucial for our today and tomorrow. We know that environmental sustainability is not possible if growth is not affordable and inclusive.” Sunita Narain, Environmentalist and Director General, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi