Sustainable development, climate change and challenges for India

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing humankind today. Science about climate change is quite certain and its impacts are being felt across the globe with increasing temperatures, changing weather patterns, increased frequency of extreme events, melting glaciers and rising sea levels. Almost all the countries are feeling the heat, though to varying extents. Developing countries like India will bear the brunt of climate change due to financial constraints and lack of expertise for adaptation and mitigation technology. Climate change will have far reaching implications for India due to its high dependence on resources and also the potential to violate constitutionally guaranteed rights to life and livelihood of the people. The Supreme Court of India has developed many principles and precedents in landmark cases and appears as a ray of hope to protect the potential violation of rights of people due to climate change. This paper proposes to provide an overview of the impacts of climate change on the world and on India and the role the Supreme Court can play in protecting the constitutional rights to life and livelihood.