The Precautionary Principle and Sustainable Development in India

V. Pavan, D.R. Guruprasad Desai and C.G. Manjunatha

Chapter 5 in Between Economy and Ecology:Policies and Practices of Sustainable Development, 2026, pp 95-110 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: The precautionary principle is an essential instrument in terms of endorsing sustainable development in India, as it plays a vital part in the nation’s conservational governance towards augmenting well-being and ecological decision-making. The application of this principle is multifaceted and open to analysis. Several matters from the Apex Court and the NGT (National Green Tribunal) demonstrate how methodical certainty or uncertainty, along with consistent legal ethics of proof, can assist as the origin for legal decisions predominantly in the framework (Randall, 2011) of the precautionary principle.Illustrating from Charles Weiss’s notional understandings, an ecological context can be shaped to address scientific uncertainty by establishing a hierarchy of legal standards with increasing levels of certainty, familiar to both lawyers and the judiciary. Pursuing sustainable development goals requires evidence-based policies and decisions grounded in scientific knowledge, supported by environmental governance and the rule of law. The article advocates that India ought to develop an agenda of procedures to deliver a vibrant roadmap for authorities to appeal towards the precautionary principle.

Keywords: Sustainable Development; Sustainable Agriculture; Feminisation of Agriculture; Sustainable Development Practices; Sustainable Urban Development; Ecology; Himalayan Glaciers; Women and Sustainable Development; Coastal Areas and Sutainability; Railway Development and Sustainability; Ecological justice; Developing Countries; India; South India; Kerala (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q01 Q15 Q54 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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