Abstract

Environmental justice has emerged as an important social science framework for understanding the unequal distribution of environmental benefits risks resources and decision-making power across different sections of society. Environmental degradation climate change pollution displacement biodiversity loss water scarcity and resource extraction do not affect all communities equally socially and economically marginalised populations frequently experience greater exposure to environmental hazards while possessing fewer resources to adapt or recover. This paper examines environmental justice from a critical social science perspective with particular attention to marginalised communities in India including Indigenous and tribal populations rural communities women informal workers low-income households and vulnerable urban populations. The study adopts a qualitative and descriptive research design based on secondary sources including academic literature international reports policy documents