India: Ministries ordered to work together on climate by Supreme Court

India: Ministries ordered to work together on climate by Supreme Court

Eight central government ministries have been ordered to cooperate on climate change following long-running public interest litigation by a youth activist.

The Supreme Court issued a memo to the ministries of: new and renewable energy; power; housing and urban affairs; road transport and highways; petroleum and natural gas; mines; science and technology; and textiles. It accused them of working in "silos" and called for a reassessment of existing environmental laws.

In 2017, when she was just nine years old, Ridhima Pandey brought a petition against the Indian government before the National Green Tribunal - the court that takes most high-level environment and development complaints. She argued that her rights were being violated and the state should do more to mitigate its emissions.

Pandey’s petition was dismissed in 2019, on the grounds that climate change was already covered in the impact assessment process, leading commentators to note that it did not engage with the case’s core issues.

She appealed to Supreme Court, which last year appointed two amici curiae and directed central government to compile a list of regulations relevant to climate change. A formal hearing takes place on 28 March.