Intersectional Environmentalism: The Indian Perspective

Equity and environmental justice often finds itself at crossroads of problems related to the two original institutions, society and the environment. Intersectional environmentalism bears the burden and has the potential of opening up a version of environmentalism that protects both man and nature. However, these pressing social and environmental decisions often present a dilemma, where one is required to be prioritised over the other. The American Journal of Public Health released that non-whites had 1.28 times higher burden than the overall population on exposure to particulate matter. UN Copenhagen Climate Summit, 2009 saw the leak of “The Danish Text”, that revealed and confirmed the mythical existence of the “inner circle”. It was made clear in the international stage that developed nations were willing to bargain the lives and livelihoods of ethnic minorities in order to maintain business as usual. In a domestic scale, the problem is equally grave. Tribal populations and forest villages in India, as well as caste minorities get the short end of the stick when environmental justice is imposed without consideration. These communities have been rendered invisible with centuries of marginalization, but they have never been more out of their depth, as there are now, as the rule of law, imposes restrictions on their livelihoods. Ironically, these communities are the most interconnected with the earth, the Chipko movement to this day stands as beacon of intersectional environmental activism, and injustices done unto these very communities screams of social inequality of a silenced people. The paper elaborates on the Indian scenario of Intersectional Environmentalism, and analyses the existing legislations, and incidences of injustice that paints the perspective of environmental justice and marginalised societies in India.