Environmental Justice in Nepal

Jonathan K London is Professor in the Department of Human Ecology/Community and Regional Planning at the University of California, Davis, USA.Jagannath Adhikari works as an independent researcher and teaches in Nepal and Australia.Thomas Robertson is a historian and the former director of Fulbright Nepal/USEF.

“This groundbreaking book delves into Nepal's environmental challenges, providing valuable frameworks and lessons for global scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. Offering insights into the complex issues surrounding environmental justice issues in Nepal, the book discusses potential solutions for achieving just and equitable outcomes from environmental conservation.”Pema Gyamtsho, PhD, Director General, ICIMOD, Nepal“The book uncovers the untold miseries of environmental inequity and injustice faced by the rural and urban poor in Nepal due to soil erosion, habitat destruction, deforestation, hazardous use of pesticides and chemicals as well as ill-conceived and implemented development projects. While the publication is Nepal focused, the lessons learned can be extremely valuable to other countries as well.”Hon. Kaylan Shrestha, Former Senior Justice Nepal Supreme Court “Here is a vital contribution to global Environment Justice (EJ) scholarship that takes seriously the axes of caste, ethnicity, gender, and internal colonialism in the making of land, livelihood, and resource struggles. In thinking critically across Nepal’s myriad political and liberation ecologies, this pathbreaking volume deepens our understanding of EJ both within and beyond the west.” Malini Ranganathan, Associate Professor, American University, USA“Environmental Justice in Nepal is a stunning and important contribution to global environmental justice scholarship. Grounded from the voices and standpoints of Nepalese activists and scholars, the collection not only addresses a wide range of topics (climate, land, health, conservation, development, land rights etc.), the volume collectively offers a new, unique and significant perspective on social dynamics, histories, and controversies of a vitally important place.” Julie Sze, Professor, American Studies, UC Davis, USA“This extraordinary volume features scholarship and activism that chart an inspiring course for environmental justice in Nepal. The contributors powerfully demonstrate how diverse Nepali communities boldly confront ecological and climate threats intertwined with patriarchy, environmental casteism, and internal colonialism to promote innovative pathways toward environmental quality and dignified livelihoods.”David Naguib Pellow, Professor, Environmental Studies, UC Santa Barbara, USA “We in the media used the acronym ‘EJ’ to mean ‘Environmental Journalism’. Now I realise that it also stands for ‘Environmental Justice’. This book is a must-read for us to understand that nature conservation and social justice are two sides of the same coin.”Kunda Dixit, Author of Dateline Earth: Journalism As If the Planet Mattered “Environmental Justice in Nepal builds a transdisciplinary lens on environmental justice from uniquely Nepali standpoints that centre subaltern knowledge and experience. The chapters feature invaluable case studies that collectively establish Nepal as a crucial site of scholarly innovation for thinking through today’s planetary environmental challenges. Indispensable reading for students, activists, planners and scholars.” Katherine Rankin, Professor, Department of Geography and Program in Planning, University of Toronto, Canada

• 1. Introduction: Framing Environmental Justice Studies and Movements in Nepal Part 1: Origins 2. Towards a New Paradigm for Environmental Justice Studies in Nepal 3. People’s Movements for Environmental Justice in Nepal: A Historical Perspective 4. Environmental justice and the role of Nepalese judiciary: A missed opportunity Part 2: Land, Forests and Agriculture 5. Environmental injustice in confronting gendered access to land in Nepal: Joint land ownership as a promising practice 6. Environmental Justice and Unfree Agricultural Labourers in the Eastern Tarai of Nepal 7. Connecting Dalit Land Rights and Climate Justice 8. Environmental Justice and Pesticides 9. From Red to Green to Grey Hills: Reflections on the Four-Decade-Long Journey of Community Forestry and Environmental Justice in Nepal Part 3: Conflicts over River and Lowland Conservation 10. Protected Areas and Expendable Communities, Wildlife-Human Conflict Survivors and Unjust Compensation in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve 11. The River People and the Parks: Political Ecology of Conservation and Indigenous Livelihoods in Nepal’s Terai Part 4: Infrastructure and Indigenous Peoples 12. Disaster Is Social: Uneven Effect and Recovery from the 2015 Nepal Earthquake 13. Indigenous struggles for development justice in Nepal: Environmentalism on the ground Part 5: Urban Development and Environmental Justice 14. Ensuring Health, Hygiene and Dignity for Solid Waste Workers 15. Urban Environmental Justice: For Whom, From Whom? 16. Cycling for Livelihood in Nepal: Seeking Justice on Two Wheels 17. Through the Haze: Air Pollution and Environmental Justice 18. Towards Transport Justice on the Streets of Kathmandu 19. Building political capabilities through participation for environmental justice in informal housing in Kathmandu Part 6: Climate Justice 20. Climate Change in Nepal through an Indigenous Environmental Justice Lens 21. Women, water and weather: Kavre villages adapt to the increasing impacts of the climate crisis 22. Applying a climate justice framework to understand inequities in urban water governance amid climate change challenges in Nepal Part 7: Health Equity 23. The stress of poverty in tackling tuberculosis in Nepal 24. Impacts of Lead Contamination on Children’s Health in Nepal