Sustainable Development as Environmental Justice

<strong>CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF LAW AND GOVERNANCE Jawaharlal Nehru University</strong> SEMINAR SERIES <strong>Nupur Chowdhury&nbsp;</strong> Assistant Professor, Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, JNU on <strong>Sustainable Development as Environmental Justice</strong> The principle of sustainable development has&nbsp;evolved to occupy centrality in environmental jurisprudence in India. The Supreme Court has reiterated its importance in the country's environmental legal regime. However, the jurisprudence has been criticized for framing it as a zero sum game where economic development has been repeatedly used as a justification to trump environmental violations, and therefore, rendering it as only declaratory and lacking in content and sufficient teeth to shape public action. But this has compelled policy and statutory recognition of the principle of sustainable development. The National Green Tribunal Act of 2010 provides statutory recognition. This statutory recognition has paved the way for a robust jurisprudence spearheaded by the NGT that has actively sought to evolve a standard of review for public actions in effectuating the principle of sustainable development and in doing so has departed from the reductionist utilitarianism that had characterized the jurisprudence of Supreme Court. Environmental justice entails inculcating an ethic of conservation in terms of prevention of harm and a commitment to devolution of decision-making on utilization of natural resources. <strong>Friday, 28 October, 2016</strong> About the Speaker: Dr. Nupur Chowdhury is Assistant Professor at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, JNU. Her current research work includes looking at the nature of Indian federalism and the implications for environmental conservation evolving jurisprudence on environmental risk regulation in India and the design regulatory institutions (environment and public health) in a federal polity. She has been a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law since 2010.