Climate Justice and Rights for Nature in India
Should nature have the same legal rights as humans? Can the idea of 'climate justice' change our approaches to this crisis?
In this interactive lecture, legal scholar and activist-educator Abhayraj Naik spent time with the audience to think about the terms 'climate justice' and 'rights for nature', which can serve as important foundations for understanding and responding to environmental challenges. Through this lens, we might reimagine the foundational relation between science, nature, and justice in India—exploring not just the science, but the philosophical, political, cultural, and contextual (justice) dimensions of climate change.
About the Activist-Educator
Abhayraj Naik is an educator, community builder, and system change practitioner. His current work focuses on decolonial climate justice, spiritual ecology, and transformative learning. He is a co-founder of a non-profit organisation called the Initiative for Climate Action, a visiting faculty member at the Azim Premji University and Krea University, a justice and transformation consultant, and an advisor/consultant to a number of progressive social and environmental causes in India and other parts of the world. He is the vision-holder for an online resource space—"Climate Justice India", an emergent educational network called the South Asia Network for Justice Education, and an upcoming centre for spiritual ecology in Bengaluru, India.