“No One Left Behind”: Advancing Inclusive and Equitable Environmental Education in India through Mission LiFE and Marginalised Youth Engagement

Environmental education in India has evolved from nature awareness initiatives to a broader socio-ecological framework encompassing climate change, sustainable lifestyles, and responsible citizenship. National policy instruments such as the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, National Curriculum Frameworks, and flagship sustainability missions provide a strong normative foundation for mainstreaming environmental learning across formal and informal education systems. However, despite this progressive policy architecture, access to meaningful and empowering environmental education remains uneven, particularly for marginalised youth including Scheduled Tribes, forest-dependent communities, urban-poor and migrant populations, girls and women, learners with disabilities, and out-of-school adolescents.