Guest Blog: Pioneering Decision from the Indian Supreme Court Recognizing Freedom from the Adverse Effects of Climate Change as a Fundamental Right.

Introduction Though environmental rights have long been recognized globally, they have undergone particularly notable evolution over the past half-century. India, surprisingly to some, has one of the most sophisticated frameworks concerning State obligations and individual protections, including a robust system for guaranteeing the enjoyment of environment rights to individuals. The recent decision by the Indian […] Introduction Though environmental rights have long been recognized globally, they have undergone particularly notable evolution over the past half-century. India, surprisingly to some, has one of the most sophisticated frameworks concerning State obligations and individual protections, including a robust system for guaranteeing the enjoyment of environment rights to individuals. The recent decision by the Indian Supreme Court (Supreme Court or Court) in Ranjitsinh v. Union of India (2024) is groundbreaking as it both recognizes environmental rights as absolute and fundamental, and offers a constitutional protection from the adverse effects of climate change under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India (Constitution). In effect, this protection is broader than most rights recognized by other courts, which have only gone as far as recognizing a constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment – something India did four decades ago. Evolution of law in