This book is a curated literature overview that explores the evolving framework of climate justice as it intersects with global politics, ethics, economics, and human rights. It offers a structured overview of the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change, focusing on questions of responsibility, equity, and governance. At its core, the book examines who bears the greatest burden for reducing emissions and how to address the disproportionate impacts on communities least responsible for climate change. Organised across six chapters from definitional foundations through historical development, planetary-scale analysis, landscape- and community-level impacts, political dynamics, and forward-looking governance, the volume traces how the same structural asymmetry recurs at every scale: the populations least responsible for climate change bear its greatest consequences. It investigates climate-induced displacement, the rights of climate refugees, and the risks of policy solutions that may exacerbate existing vulnerabilities.
This volume also engages with the tensions between development and sustainability, particularly in emerging economies and climate-vulnerable regions. It addresses historical responsibility, climate reparations, and the financial mechanisms required to support equitable transitions.
Rather than presenting a static account of these issues, it proposes frameworks for navigating the complex terrain of climate justice. It translates intricate ethical and policy debates into accessible models for understanding, while maintaining analytical depth. The emphasis is on identifying practical, adaptive governance strategies that can inform decision-making across sectors.

Sudhir Chella Rajan is a Professor at IIT Madras and a Visiting Professor at Elon University. He holds an interdisciplinary doctorate from UCLA and is author of A Social Theory of Corruption (Harvard University Press, 2020) and co-author of The Suicidal Planet (St. Martin's Press, 2007). His research focuses on climate justice, democratic politics, and environmental governance. He has published extensively on climate refugees, sea-level rise, transportation equity, and energy transitions in journals including Ethics & International Affairs, Climate Policy, and Economic & Political Weekly. He has consulted for USEPA, UNDP, and ClimateWorks Foundation on climate policy.