Climate Justice and Environmental Rights: Addressing the responsibility of corporations and the rights to a clean environment with an emphasis on climate-induced migration. The global environment and human livelihoods are impacted because of the ongoing climate crisis. They are majorly driven by deforestation, industrial emissions, and unsustainable development. The responsibility for these is disproportionately borne by communities least responsible for climate change, whereas there are global impacts on each individual’s life. Climate justice is the solution to the imbalances risen out of these notions. Demand for fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens has risen tantamounsly with inviting equitable policymaking and with more effective legal accountability against environmental harm. This concept is extending beyond the environmental concerns. It is encompassing into the realm of fundamental human rights, accentuating the interdependence between ecological integrity and socio-economic equity. This paper critically examines the interrelatedness between environmental degradation and human rights violations. The prime focus is on corporate accountability and the legal recognition of climate refugees. Exploring the issues with respect to the context of international and Indian legal frameworks, focusing on contributing to an interdisciplinary discourse on law, economics, and sustainable development. Climate justice is inclusive of the right to a clean and healthy environment, corporate environmental responsibility, and climate-induced displacement. Migration resulting from climate-induced factors is one of the most pressing challenges in the current environmental discussion. Rising sea levels, desertification, and extreme weather events result in millions of individuals being forced to leave their homes. However, international refugee law, as explained under the 1951 Refugee Convention, does not recognize environmental factors as grounds for refugee status. Access to justice and protection under enacted laws is absent due to a legal vacuum that renders climate refugees “invisible” in international law. Legal scholars and human rights advocates have increasingly called for a re-evaluation of the refugee regime to incorporate climate displacement, arguing that environmental degradation violates rights to life, livelihood, housing, and dignity. Climate change is largely impacted by the roles played by corporate actors. Transnational corporations (TNCs), particularly in sectors where extraction and manufacturing activities take place, are responsible for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. Whose operations are more likely to result in damages affecting air quality, water resources, and biodiversity. Regardless of this, corporate liability for environmental degradation remain weak due to limited enforcement of environmental regulations, corporate licensing, and the prioritization of quantitative growth over sustainability. In India, environmental regulation under statutes like the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and judicial doctrines such as the “polluter pays” principle and “public trust” doctrine provide a foundation for holding corporations accountable. However, enforcement remains erratic, and availability to environmental justice is often obstructed by bureaucratic, political, and economic hurdles. The Indian judiciary has attempted and resultantly made significant strides in recognizing environmental rights as part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. The jurisprudence, such as M.K. Ranjitsinh v Union of India has reiterates that individuals have a right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change. The new developments underscore a shift towards a rights-based approach to environmental governance. Yet, the absence of a comprehensive climate law and the fragmented nature of environmental regulation hinder systematic corporate accountability. Globally, there is increasing momentum towards recognising a human right to a healthy environment. The United Nations Human Rights Council’s Resolution 48/13 formally acknowledged this right, encouraging states to integrate environmental protection into their human rights obligations. However, the enforceability of such recognition remains a challenge. This paper argues that recognition must be followed by binding obligations and effective mechanisms to hold state and non-state actors accountable. The Paris Agreement, while emphasising climate mitigation and adaptation, lacks direct enforcement mechanisms for human rights violations caused by environmental degradation. Hence, there is a need to link environmental governance with binding legal standards for corporations and comprehensive protection frameworks for displaced communities. The paper also examines the economic dimensions of climate justice. Environmental degradation imposes substantial external costs on society, including public health impacts, loss of livelihoods, and damage to infrastructure. These costs are rarely internalised by polluting entities. Law and economics scholars argue for economic instruments such as carbon pricing, green taxes, and climate-related financial disclosures to ensure that market actors account for their environmental footprint. This perspective aligns with the principle of sustainable development, which seeks to balance economic growth with environmental protection and social justice. In the Indian context, both challenges and opportunities are present. The ever rapidly growing and developing Indian economy faces pressure of sustaining the industrial expansion while mitigating climate impacts. Government policies such as the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and state-specific action plans have attempted to integrate environmental considerations into development planning. But the role of corporate entities in implementing these plans remains insufficiently defined. Giving strength to corporate environmental responsibility through legislative reforms, judicial activism, and public accountability mechanism which is essential in achieving climate justice. A new approach is required for understanding the climate change exacerbates in existing social inequalities. In India, shift due to climate events often intersect with caste and gender-based disparities, deepening susceptibilities. A framework about climate justice must address the structural roots of environmental injustice, promote participation in environmental decision-making, and ensure equitable access to climate adaptation resources. This paper proposes a multi-dimensional framework to address these issues: 1. Legal Recognition of Climate Refugees 2. Corporate Environmental Accountability 3. Constitutional and Statutory Reforms 4. Economic Instruments for Environmental Protection 5. Inclusive Governance Conclusively, it would be apt to address pursuit of climate justice inhibits a paradigm shift in economic – legal systems for addressing the causes of environmental degradation and human rights violations. By including corporate accountability, environmental rights, and protection for climate refugees into a legal framework. Both States and institutions can move towards a more justiciable, sustainable, and equitable global order. The interface of law and economics offers precious tools in designing effective policies and legal mechanisms. The ultimate goal must be the realization of human dignity and environmental sustainability for all.
Dr. Shubha Keerti Chaturvedi (Wed,) studied this question.