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Imagining Sustainability Beyond COVID-19 in India

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  • Thomas, Bejoy K.
  • Bhar, Soumyajit
  • Chakravarty, Shoibal

Abstract

The COVID-19 lockdown in India saw a spate of news stories suggesting improvements in environmental conditions. In this article, we caution against optimistic narratives of environmental revival. First, we analyse air pollution data before and during the lockdown to show that these improvements were temporary and a by-product of the severe restrictions placed on the normal functioning of the economy. Second, drawing upon data on income and inequality, we suggest that the human suffering witnessed during the lockdown was a result of widening social disparities since the 1990s. We argue that environmental priorities cannot be separated from social concerns, and equity has to be at the centre of imagining sustainability beyond the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas, Bejoy K. & Bhar, Soumyajit & Chakravarty, Shoibal, 2021. "Imagining Sustainability Beyond COVID-19 in India," Ecology, Economy and Society - the INSEE Journal, Indian Society of Ecological Economics (INSEE), vol. 4(01), January.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:inseej:308976
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.308976
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Editorial, 2020. "Covid-19 and Climate Change," Journal, Review of Agrarian Studies, vol. 10(1), pages 5-6, January-J.
    2. Sudha Narayanan & Shree Saha, 2020. "Urban food markets and the lockdown in India," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2020-017, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.
    3. Surender Kumar & Shunsuke Managi, 2020. "Does Stringency of Lockdown Affect Air Quality? Evidence from Indian Cities," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 4(3), pages 481-502, October.
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