BY – KALPANA SAHOO
India stands at a crossroads. On the one hand, rapid urbanisation, industrial growth, and infrastructure development have lifted millions out of poverty. On the other hand, these same forces often strain natural resources, deepen inequalities, and leave marginalised communities bearing the brunt of environmental damage. In this tension lies the possibility: shaping a future where sustainability, peace, and justice reinforce one another—not compete.
This article explores that possibility, looking especially at how youth, communities, and everyday citizens are responding, rooted in the spirit of Gandhi—nonviolence, simplicity, equity—and pushing for climate justice and social justice together.
Gandhi’s India: The Ethical Foundation
Mohandas K. Gandhi’s philosophy—of Satya (truth), ahimsa (non-violence), rural self-reliance, simple living, and harmony with nature—offers a moral framework that remains deeply relevant in today’s environmental debates. Key ideas include:
Swaraj is not only in political freedom but in economic, social, and ecological autonomy.
Sarvodaya (welfare of all): ensuring that development benefits the poorest and most vulnerable.
Trusteeship: viewing land and resources not as property to be exploited, but as gifts to be stewarded.
Thus, efforts for environmental sustainability in India, to be just and durable, must carry these values: equitable distribution of benefits/ costs, protection for the vulnerable, and nonviolent, inclusive modes of engagement.
The Social Justice Aspect
Environmental harms rarely fall equally. Pollution, climate change, deforestation, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity — these affect marginalised communities disproportionately: rural poor, Adivasi populations, women, and low-income urban dwellers. Social justice demands recognising this uneven burden and ensuring:
Fair access to clean air, water, land, and health.
Participation of affected communities in decision-making.
Compensation or restorative measures when harm occurs.
Policies that avoid sacrificing social equity for environmental goals.
Youth & Everyday Citizen Responses
In recent years, India has seen growing activism and grassroots responses led by young people and ordinary citizens. These respond both to the immediate ecological crises and to inequities tied to climate and environment. Below are several strands of how these responses are unfolding.
1. Youth Climate Networks & Alliances
Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN) — Founded in 2008, this group mobilises youth across India to participate in climate solutions, policy advocacy, awareness-raising, and capacity-building. iycn.in+1
Green Rising India Alliance (GRIA) — A recent collaboration between UNICEF’s YuWaah, foundations, corporations, and youth groups, aiming to equip 50 million children and youth by 2030 to become climate-conscious, adaptable, and resilient. India Today+1
These alliances echo Gandhi’s idea that change must begin at the grassroots, in education, values, and daily practices—not just policy mandates.
2. Community-based and Local Innovations
Youth4Water in Odisha — Engaging about 5,000 young volunteers as WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) ambassadors, forming clubs in colleges, and involving rural and tribal communities to revive traditional methods of water & mangrove conservation. These youth are acting as changemakers in their local contexts. UNICEF+1
Bengaluru Climate Action Clubs — Over 700 schools/colleges in Bengaluru have formed “Climate Action Clubs,” where students organise around water conservation, waste reduction, energy, tree planting, and environmental awareness. These clubs are giving youth a structured platform to act locally. Bangalore Mirror
Analogue Forestry & Sustainable Land Management in Bihar (Pragati by Change looms) — Young people trained in analogue forestry, biodiversity conservation, indigenous species planting, etc. Rather than top-down development, this is a bottom-up reweaving of ecological health and community livelihood. Feminism in India
3. Everyday Citizen Engagement & Sustainable Livelihoods
Upcycling, recycling, and waste management projects: Citizens in many Indian cities are turning waste into livelihoods. For example, groups of women in Guwahati up-cycle discarded cloth into bags, mats, etc., reducing waste and earning income. The Times of India
Plastic weaving in Dharavi: This is an example of how one of India’s largest informal settlements turns plastic waste into woven crafts. It addresses both environmental pollution and offers income opportunities to people often excluded from formal jobs. Wikipedia
4. Linking Justice, Inclusion & Policy
Many of these youth and community initiatives are explicitly linking environment/climate action with justice: emphasising participation from marginalised groups (tribal, rural, women) in decision-making.
Legal empowerment is another component: training youth in environmental laws, rights, and mechanisms so that communities know what their entitlements are. For instance, Jane Goodall Institute India’s Youth Leadership Council combines environmental activism with awareness of human rights and environmental laws. janegoodall.org.in
Judicial Landscape of Environmental Justice in India
India’s judiciary has played a vital role in linking environmental sustainability with social justice, though challenges remain.
Between 2019 and 2022, over 52,000 environment-related criminal cases were registered, but conviction rates remain below 3% — only 39 people were convicted under major laws like the Environment (Protection) Act and the Air and Water Acts.
(Source: Economic Times, 2022)
As of recent data, over 50,000 cases related to environmental offences are still pending trial, with courts disposing of only a small fraction annually.
(Source: Down To Earth, 2021)
Landmark Supreme Court cases — such as M.C. Mehta v. Union of India (1986) and M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath (1996) — established principles like absolute liability and the public trust doctrine, forming the backbone of Indian environmental jurisprudence.
In a 2024 Supreme Court ruling, the Court recognised the right to be free from adverse climate impacts as part of the fundamental right to life (Article 21) — a historic move towards climate justice in India.
(Source: Indian Express, 2024)
These data reveal both progress and gaps: while the courts continue to uphold Gandhian ideals of harmony and justice, slow enforcement and low convictions hinder true ecological and social balance. Strengthening community participation and youth-led legal awareness can help translate these judicial principles into on-ground sustainability and peace.
Challenges & Tensions
While the responsiveness is significant, various challenges are evident:
Scale vs. Local Intimacy: Local projects are often small-scale, depending on volunteerism. Scaling them without losing local ownership, community relevance is hard.
Inequalities in Capacity: Youth in urban areas often have better access to information, funding, and networks than youth in remote villages. Same with marginalised caste or tribe communities.
Policy Gaps & Implementation: Laws and policies may exist, but implementation is often weak; enforcement of environmental regulations, pollution control, etc., is uneven.
Resource Constraints: Funding, technical know-how, and institutional support are limited. Also, balancing between meeting immediate livelihood needs vs long‐term environmental actions can be difficult.
Environmental Justice vs Economic Growth Tension: Sometimes, environmental protection is seen as a constraint to growth. Convincing stakeholders that sustainability and justice are part of development—not opposing it—is an ongoing struggle.
Peace, Nonviolence & Climate Justice: Gandhi in Practice
Drawing from Gandhi, several elements of these youth and citizen-led responses reflect his methods:
Nonviolent activism: Protests, awareness campaigns, community mobilization rather than violent confrontation.
Self‐sufficiency and localism: Reviving traditional water harvesting, indigenous planting, rural and tribal practices; reducing dependence on external, large-scale industrial interventions.
Simple living: Emphasis on reducing waste, single-use plastics, promoting minimal ecological footprint among citizens.
Equality and inclusion: Ensuring that the most vulnerable are part of the voice, decision-making, and benefit distribution.
These Gandhian values help ensure that climate justice is also social justice; that environmental sustainability does not mean new exclusions.
Paths Forward: Building a Greener and Fairer Future
To deepen and accelerate the work already being done, some strategies and directions seem promising:
Strengthening Youth Participation in Policy
Ensure youth representation in local, state, national climate policy bodies.
Support youth networks that feed into international negotiations (COP etc.), bringing India’s young voices to global forums.
Capacity Building & Access
Training in technical skills (restoration, forestry, water management, clean energy).
Education that includes environmental justice, sustainability, climate science in school and college curricula.
Financial & infrastructural support especially for marginalized communities.
Scaling Locally-Rooted Innovations
Identify pilot projects with strong local leadership and replicate/adapt them elsewhere.
Use models like climate clubs, Youth4Water, or analog forestry fellowships.
Legal & Institutional Mechanisms
Stronger environmental laws, monitoring, legal awareness so communities can demand their rights.
Ensure that environmental impact assessments (EIAs), land acquisition, forest rights, water allocations consider justice, not just technical metrics.
Fostering Peace and Social Cohesion
Environmental issues often cross caste, religious, and regional divides. Using environmental cooperation as a bridge fosters peace.
Conflict prevention over resources (water, land) through dialogue, fair norms, and grassroots conflict resolution.
Adopting Gandhian Simplicity and Ethics in Mass Culture
Promoting lifestyle change: reducing consumption, waste, embracing renewable energy, and local organic food.
Encouraging ethical businesses, community enterprises, and green entrepreneurship.
Case Study Snapshot
To illustrate how this synergises in practice, consider Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra:
Led by Anna Hazare, Ralegan Siddhi is often cited as a model village for environmental conservation. It has revived its watershed systems, planted trees, reduced soil erosion, used renewable energy (solar street lights, windmills, biogas), and supported local agriculture sustainably. Wikipedia
This shows how long‐term communal commitment, local leadership, and an ethic of simplicity and self-help can transform landscapes and livelihoods.
Another example: Youth4Water in Odisha, where young community members engage with WASH, wetland conservation around Chilika lake, integrate traditional knowledge and act locally to preserve ecosystems and prevent climate migration. UNICEF+1
Conclusion
Environmental sustainability and social justice are not separate domains but deeply intertwined. In India, the path to climate justice must run through the landscapes of social equity, community voice, and non-violence. The youth are proving to be powerful agents of that change—rooted in Gandhi’s India, drawing from its moral imagination, and pushing for innovation, inclusion, and integrity.
A just and sustainable India will be built not only by policy or technology, but by thousands of everyday choices: communities conserving water, youth planting trees, citizens resisting waste, and everyone insisting that progress nurturing life, not destroying it. Peace, equity, and environment must walk together—otherwise the future will be neither green nor fair.
References
Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN). About Us. iycn.in
UNICEF / YuWaah: Green Rising India Alliance. India Today+1
Youth4Water, Odisha: community & youth-led action on climate change & conservation. UNICEF+1
Bengaluru Climate Action Clubs. Bangalore Mirror
Change looms / Pragati Fellowship, Bihar: Youth leaders in analogue forestry and sustainable land use. Feminism in India
Ralegan Siddhi village, Maharashtra: a model in environmental conservation and rural sustainability. Wikipedia
Upcycling & Waste Initiatives (Guwahati women). The Times of India
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