RIGHT TO LIVE IN A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT: CLASH WITH INDIVIDUAL ECONOMIC RIGHT
By Shruti Singh
The Recognition of the Right to live in a healthy environment in the International Environmental law was done in the Stockholm Declaration as early as 1972 when the global society acknowledged the shortcoming of the rapid increase of industrialization. In most countries, it has emerged either explicitly through the legislature or judicial interpretations. In India, the right to live in a secure and healthy environment is an intrinsic part of the Right to life i.e., Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
Glancing through the prism of the pandemic faced by the globe, the developing countries still fail to understand the importance of the health of our planet. The international conferences and deliberations have given the direction to the developing countries towards sustainability but if it is not accompanied by utilizing implementation then it will be bungled. This paper studies the evolution of the right to live in a healthy environment with the introduction of several principles and the balance between a clean environment and economic activity in the light of the Environment Impact Assessment Notification (EIA 2020). It deals with the sustainability of the globe with respect to the right to life and the right to progress. In the post covid times with the sea change in economic activities including business, education, health care system, what is the way ahead towards constructing climate resilience, sustainability, waste management, and health infrastructure.
Keywords: Right to Clean Environment, Sustainability, EIA 2020, Right to progress, Pandemic.
©2020- Lex Humanitariae: Journal for a Change