Environmental law and policy in India affects all sections of society. Those most deeply affected by it are the poor. They are the first victims of poor sanitation, polluted air, and contaminated water. Since the 1970s, efforts to protect environmental quality have met with limited success, posing enduring challenges for policy designers and decision-makers entrusted with protecting and preserving natural resources. This edition of Environmental Law and Policy retains the familiar analytical structure of the second edition and includes all major developments since then. It focuses on Indian environmental law, policies, problems, and needs with the comprehensiveness of an American law case book, compiles all the leading cases in environmental law in India with concise extracts of landmark judgments and policy documents, and provides discussions on projects which could potentially degrade the environment.

This volume also covers air and water pollution, forests, wildlife, noise pollution, common property resources and tribal communities, environmental impact assessment, coastal regulations, large projects, urban problems, the National Green Tribunal, hazardous substances, transnational environmental policies, and international environment law. It is interlaced with notes, comments, and questions intended to encourage critical thinking amongst lawyers and law students.