1When the reciprocal relationship between humans and their environment is weakened by dominant power dynamics, this prompts many changes, paving the way for disenfranchisement and environmental injustices. Various manifestations of environmental injustice in Nepal with respect to natural resource endowment, unfair and ineffective government policies and exposure of marginalised people to poor environmental conditions are discussed in this book. The latter is organised into seven parts, with 24 chapters spanning 279 pages, covering different coherent and easily understood themes and issues, thereby making an important contribution to scholarship in the field of environmental justice in Nepal. Navigating through its different parts and chapters was an illuminating journey in itself.

4Part III comprises two chapters that focus on conflicts over river and lowland conservation. In chapter 10 Dhirendra Nalbo examines human-wildlife conflicts in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve in the south eastern plains of Nepal. He argues that government conservation measures and the creation of protected areas have not only robbed communities of their land but have also fuelled the human-wildlife conflict. Naya Sharma Paudel, Sudeep Jana Thing and Rahul Karki analyse the experiences of fishing communities around Chitwan National Park (Bote, Majhi and Musahar communities) and Bardiya National Park (Sonaha community) in chapter 11. Reflecting on the shift in conservation strategies – from a state-led protection approach to community participation – they argue that despite this marked change, the state has failed to recognise and accept indigenous knowledge and world views, therefore perpetuating injustices and the marginalisation of local communities.

5The two chapters in part IV address infrastructures and indigenous peoples. In ‘Disaster is social: uneven effect and recovery from the 2015 Nepal earthquake’ (chapter 12), Mukta S Tamang explores the relationship between natural disasters and social life. He analyses the impact of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, arguing that the natural disaster had unequal consequences, with marginalised communities suffering the most, showing inequality even in their recovery. Prabindra Shakya in ‘Indigenous struggles for development justice in Nepal: environmentalism on the ground’ (chapter 13) discusses the grass-roots activism of indigenous communities in their opposition to development projects, such as the construction of a dam along the Sunkoshi river in eastern Nepal by the Majhi community or infrastructure projects such as the Fast Track Highway in the south of the Kathmandu valley initiated by the Newa community.

6Part V groups together six chapters that deal with urban development and environmental justice.Prashanna Man Pradhan and Bhawana Sharma in ‘Ensuring health, hygiene, and dignity for solid waste workers’ (chapter 14) consider the hardships and stigmatisation faced by sanitation workers as occupation-based environmental injustices. In ‘Urban environmental justice: for whom, from whom?’ (chapter 15) Kirti Kusum Joshi examines the cases of Sisdol landfill and brick kiln sites, and argues that government policies based on cost-benefit analysis (CBA) undermine and fail to address socio-environmental issues. Tara Lal Shrestha and Bidhya Shrestha in ‘Cycling for livelihood in Nepal: seeking justice on two wheels,’ (chapter 16) argue that the government fails to address the health and safety needs of marginalised people who are dependent on bicycles for their livelihood and for transportation. These people are unrecognised heroes who contribute to sustainable transportation but often face environmental injustices as they are often exposed to urban pollution which is created by the escalating ‘car culture’ in Nepal. In ‘Through the haze: air pollution and environmental justice’ (chapter 17) Arnico K Panday and Arti Govinda Shrestha examine air pollution in Nepal. While highlighting various factors such as poverty, the lack of education and of awareness-building measures, unclean fuels (including solid firewood and cow dung) and unregulated pollution frameworks, they argue that women and poor people are those the most affected and suffer environmental injustices. Bhushan Tuladhar in ‘Transport justice on the streets of Kathmandu’ (chapter 18) argues that, due to vehicle-centric transport model in Kathmandu, environmental issues adversely affecting the health of the poor people and this prompts him to raise a call for transport justice and a shift in modes of transport. Sangeeta Singh and Bijay Singh in ‘Building political capabilities through participation for environmental justice in informal housing in Kathmandu’ (chapter 19) examine the challenges faced by residents of informal settlements, called Sukambasi in Nepali. By delving into the case of the Kirtipur Housing Project in Kathmandu, they argue that such a holistic model with the participation and political empowerment of grassroots people serves environmental justice, which is otherwise disregarded.

7The three chapters in Part VI focus on ‘climate justice’. In ‘Climate change in Nepal through an indigenous environmental justice lens’ (chapter 20), Pasang Yangjee Sherpa argues that Nepal’s institutional scientific policies and activities with respect to climate change and its impact in the Himalaya fail to recognise the various dimensions of indigenous knowledge and informed perspectives, thereby exacerbating risks, vulnerability and marginalisation. In ‘Women, water, and weather: Kavre villages adapt to the increasing impacts of the climate crisis’ (chapter 21), Sonia Awale examines water depletion in Kavre. By linking the water crisis to climate change, she argues that women bear the brunt of this hardship because men have migrated to the city in search of job opportunities. She further highlights how communities have adopted ways to address the crisis by protecting the functional springs, by building ponds and by reforesting land with native trees. Gyanu Maskey, Poshendra Satyal, Monika Giri and Prajal Pradhan in ‘Applying a climate justice framework to understand inequities in urban water governance amid climate change challenges in Nepal’ (chapter 22) examine urban water governance in Dulikhel and Diktel. The authors argue that climate change adaptation strategies, such as ensuring a water supply in a context of water insecurity adopted by outside institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, could not cater to the needs of marginalised people given the pre-existing internal social inequities and ‘inherent social differences’ (p238), thereby rendering marginalised communities more vulnerable to the impact of climate change.

8The two chapters in Part VII focus on health equity. In ‘The stress of poverty in tackling tuberculosis in Nepal’ (chapter 23), Marissa Taylor argues that tuberculosis, ‘one of the oldest diseases in the history of mankind’ (p252), is a great threat to Nepal and claims many lives, especially of marginalized people exposed to poor air and poor environmental conditions because ‘pollution sources, such as industrial facilities or sewage corridors, are disproportionately located in low-income neighborhoods’ (p254). Meghnath Dhimal, Mandira Lamichhane Dhimal and Madhusudan Subedi in ‘Impacts of lead contamination on children’s health in Nepal’ (chapter 24) argue that ‘the increasing pattern of urbanization, industrialization, generation of municipal and electronic waste, use of enamel paints in buildings’ (p260) in Nepal have led to an increase in lead exposure that affects the health of children, especially those of socially marginalised groups.

9Overall, this edited volume makes a substantial contribution to research and scholarship on environmental justice. It systematically addresses both contemporary and historical instances and processes, while engaging with Nepal’s environmental vulnerability and highlighting the multifarious responses expressed by the different communities. Nonetheless, the main focus of the book is on the Tarai. As a reader, I felt that the book’s engagement with highland Nepal was instrumental in that only five out of 24 chapters underline issues of environmental injustice in the context of the high mountains, while only two chapters emphasise the relationship that indigenous communities living in the middle mountains (chapter 13) and high mountains (chapter 20) shared with their environment, including rivers and mountains, and hinted at overall ecological justice. For the rest, the high mountains and middle mountains come across as mere field sites, with no sustained engagement with their ecological specificities. Nevertheless, the book proves to be a valuable reference to researchers, policymakers and organisations working on environmental issues and environmental injustices in Nepal.