Precaution Paramount: Forging a New Era of Rigorous Environmental Impact Assessments in India

Book: Intersectionality Between Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals: A Socio-Legal Perspective from India by CSMFL Publications

by Mahi Agrawal1 & Varun Pratap Singh2
1Second Year Undergraduate Student, Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur, India; 2Second Year Undergraduate Student, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow, India.
10.46679/9788196780524ch02
This chapter is a part of: Intersectionality Between Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals: A Socio-Legal Perspective from India
ISBN (Ebook):978-81-967805-2-4
ISBN (Hardcover Print):978-81-967805-0-0
ISBN (Softcover Print):978-81-967805-3-1

© CSMFL Publications & its authors.
Published: August 28, 2025

Agrawal, M., & Singh, V. P. (2025). Precaution Paramount: Forging a New Era of Rigorous Environmental Impact Assessments in India. In N. Chaudhary & S. Chaturvedi, Intersectionality Between Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals: A Socio-Legal Perspective from India (pp 19-36). CSMFL Publications.
https://dx.doi.org/10.46679/9788196780524ch02

Abstract

From humble roots as a country that inspired many laws and other principles, India’s environmental jurisprudence has come a long way. This chapter untangles the web of environmental law in the world’s most populous democracy and traces it from birth to maturity. Rooted in the cornerstones of present-day environmentalism, such as the Precautionary Principle, the Polluter Pays Principle, Intergenerational equity, and Environmental Impact Assessments, India’s mindset evolved in tandem with the world as a whole. This chapter traverses the cutting edge of judicial spirit, as judges on a quest redefined the meaning of “precaution” and punished the corporations more justly. At the same time, the involvement of the National Green Tribunals is depicted. It emphasizes their novelty while catching a brief glimpse of the future of crime. Finally, the chapter explains the role of the state, citizens, and environmental NGOs in creating a greener and cleaner India by glimpsing the future. It is more than a legal trek; it is a guide to environmental management at a critical juncture.

Keywords: Sustainability, Polluter Pays Principle, NGT, Equity, EIA

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