Green Citizenship and the Crisis of Democratic Participation: Environmental Dissent in Contemporary India

As published in the Volume 3(1) of Ramjas Political Review

Abstract

This essay analyses the paradoxical shift in India where environmental movements, once vital to participatory democracy, are now reframed as impediments to national development and security. This trajectory signals a crisis of green citizenship, characterised by the systemic exclusion of dissenting ecological voices. The paper argues that democratic space is actively being reconstructed as the state imposes a technocratic, state-controlled modality of climate action through discursive reframing and repressive legal measures. Conversely, the analysis emphasises the resilience and creative strategies of ecological counterpublics in constructing alternative democratic practices. Ultimately, achieving genuine climate justice demands a strong, inclusive democratic space that actively legitimises dissent and grants citizens meaningful participation in India's environmental future.

Keywords: Green citizenship, Environmental dissent, Counterpublics, State repression, Environmental justice

To read: Link

The author, Siddhant Sarang, was a student at University of Delhi (Batch of 2022).

Featured image credit: UNICEF India