The Environmental Apartheid: How Economic Liberalization Perpetuates Climate Injustice in India

The Context of Climate Negotiations and Historical Responsibility

The recent COP30 conference in Belem served as yet another stark reminder of the deeply entrenched inequalities in global climate discussions. As delegates gathered, parts of the Amazon rainforest literally burned around them, symbolizing the urgency of the crisis while exposing the hypocrisy of international climate politics. For decades, these conferences have been dominated by the fundamental tension between industrialized nations that emitted the majority of historical greenhouse gases and developing countries that bear disproportionate impacts while contributing minimally to the problem.

The statistics are undeniable: from 1850 to 2021, the Global North has been responsible for the overwhelming majority of cumulative emissions that drive climate change today. Yet these same nations now demand that developing countries like India limit their development to solve a crisis they didn’t create. This represents the height of environmental imperialism, where the perpetrators of climate change dictate terms to their victims.

India’s Internal Emissions Divide

Within this global context, India’s economic liberalization has created a disturbing internal dynamic where the emissions burden is being shifted from more developed and equal states to less developed ones. This internal colonization mirrors the global pattern of environmental injustice, where privileged entities externalize their pollution costs onto vulnerable communities.

The pattern is clear: wealthier states that benefited first and most from economic reforms are now transferring their environmental costs to less developed regions. This creates a double injustice - these marginalized states not only missed the economic benefits of early development but now must bear the environmental costs of others’ prosperity. This internal inequality compounds the global injustice faced by India and other developing nations.

The Hypocrisy of Western Climate Demands

The Western approach to climate negotiations represents a sophisticated form of neo-colonialism. Having built their economies through centuries of unrestricted emissions, developed nations now seek to pull the ladder up behind them, demanding that developing countries limit their growth to solve a problem they didn’t create. This is not climate action; it is climate imperialism.

The so-called “international rule of law” in environmental matters is applied with breathtaking hypocrisy. The Global North expects the Global South to adhere to standards they never followed during their own development. This one-sided application of environmental principles serves to maintain global inequality under the guise of climate concern.

Civilizational States and Alternative Development Paradigms

As civilizational states with thousands of years of history, India and China understand development differently from Westphalian nation-states. Our civilizations have maintained sustainable relationships with nature for millennia, while Western consumerism has created the current crisis in mere centuries. The arrogance of Western nations in lecturing ancient civilizations about environmental stewardship is both offensive and historically ignorant.

India’s development path must reflect its civilizational values rather than mimic Western models that have proven environmentally catastrophic. We must reject the pressure to adopt development models that serve Western interests rather than our people’s needs. Our environmental policies should emerge from our cultural traditions and developmental requirements, not from dictates by nations that created the climate crisis.

The Need for Climate Justice, Not Climate Colonialism

True climate justice requires acknowledging historical responsibility and allowing equitable development space for Global South nations. The current framework, where the largest historical polluters dictate terms to those least responsible, constitutes environmental colonialism. We must fundamentally restructure climate negotiations to center historical justice and equitable development rights.

The emissions burden redistribution within India mirrors the global pattern we must fight against. Just as we cannot allow developed states to externalize costs onto developing regions within our country, we cannot allow the Global North to externalize their climate responsibilities onto the Global South. This principle of environmental justice must apply at both domestic and international levels.

Toward a New Environmental Order

We need a new framework for international environmental cooperation that rejects neo-colonial power dynamics and respects the development rights of Global South nations. This framework must recognize that different nations have different responsibilities and capabilities based on their historical contributions and current development needs.

The expertise of scholars like Prakash Kashwan and Ashok Swain, who understand the intersection of environmental issues with social justice and international relations, should guide this new approach. Their work demonstrates that environmental protection cannot be separated from questions of equity and historical justice.

We must build international coalitions that challenge the current unjust climate regime and demand a fair distribution of both environmental responsibilities and development rights. The nations of the Global South, representing the majority of humanity, must unite to reject climate colonialism and assert our right to development that serves our people rather than Western interests.

Conclusion: Asserting Our Right to Development and Justice

The redistribution of emissions burden within India through economic liberalization serves as a microcosm of global climate injustice. Just as we must address internal environmental inequality, we must fight against international climate colonialism. The nations of the Global South have the right to develop and improve their people’s lives without accepting environmental burdens created by others.

We stand at a critical juncture where we must choose between accepting neo-colonial environmental policies or asserting our right to justice and development. The path forward requires solidarity among Global South nations, rejection of hypocritical Western demands, and the creation of new frameworks that recognize historical responsibility and equitable development rights. Our future, and the future of our planet, depends on choosing justice over oppression, equity over exploitation, and self-determination over neo-colonial domination.