A Call to Action

Context:

The Supreme Court of India has emphasized the need to protect lives and livelihoods in the face of climate change, framing it within the context of Fundamental Rights enshrined in the Constitution.

Recognition of Fundamental Rights:

• Provision and relevance: The Supreme Court interprets the Right to Equality (Article 14) and Right to Life and Liberty (Article 21) expansively, emphasizing their relevance in the context of climate change.
• Action time: It urges urgent action to mitigate the impacts of climate change, citing growing evidence of vulnerabilities and climate-related risks such as floods, heatwaves, and changing rainfall patterns.
• Need to address: The Court's verdict underscores the importance of addressing climate change to ensure the realization of fundamental rights, particularly the right to a clean environment and the right to health.

Environmental Concerns and Policy Action:

• Limited attention: Despite the mounting evidence of environmental degradation and climate change impacts, the political class shows limited attention to ecological issues, especially in election years.
• Gap: There is a noticeable gap between judicial pronouncements, which highlight the link between environmental protection and human dignity, and actual policy implementation by governments.
• Crisis episodes, such as extreme weather events and worsening air and water quality, expose the unpreparedness of India's cities, towns, and rural areas, raising questions about the adequacy of developmental endeavors in addressing ecological concerns.