Priyanka Tiwari
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At the National Conference on Environment – 2025 held at Vigyan Bhawan, Supreme Court Judge Justice Vikram Nath called for urgent regulation of emissions, investment in green technologies, and sustainable development strategies. Speaking at the event inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu, Justice Nath highlighted the urgent need for collective action to tackle India’s mounting environmental issues.
Children Shouldn’t Need Masks to Play Outdoors, Says Justice Nath
“The capital regularly suffers from high levels of pollution,” he said. “It is unacceptable for our children to grow up in an environment where they need masks to play or worry about respiratory issues at such a young age.”
Justice Nath called for:
Stronger emission regulations
Investment in clean technologies
Expansion of sustainable transport solutions
Water Pollution: A Growing Crisis
Justice Nath also emphasized the pollution of India's sacred rivers, pointing to untreated waste as a major cause.
“I feel both nostalgia and concern seeing the rivers today—nostalgia for their past purity, concern for our failure to protect them,” he noted.
He recommended:
Treating industrial effluents
Enhancing sewage treatment infrastructure
Encouraging community participation in maintaining riverbanks
Role of Judiciary and National Green Tribunal (NGT)
Justice Nath praised the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for its pivotal role since 2010 in addressing environmental disputes.
By promoting the "polluter pays" and precautionary principles, NGT has:
Encouraged industries and authorities to rethink natural resource usage
Created a legal precedent for environmental accountability
Call for Collaborative Action
Justice Nath stressed that:
Government must prioritize green technology
Industries must track and reduce their environmental footprint
Civil society should raise environmental awareness
“No single institution can achieve environmental protection alone. Collective effort is essential,” he added.
“The environment is not an external object—it is part of our collective soul, tied to our health, culture, and economy. Protecting it means protecting ourselves.”
NGT Chair and Attorney General Emphasize Inclusive, Legislative Reforms
Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Chairperson of NGT, highlighted the conference’s inclusive approach, involving jurists, experts, students, and faculty to address practical environmental issues through four technical sessions.
Attorney General R Venkataramani raised the need for:
Structural reforms in regulatory bodies
Mass-level citizen involvement
Revised environmental legislation beyond just penalties
“Urbanisation is driving up energy demands and resource exploitation. We must deepen our engagement with ecological consciousness,” he said.
Justice Nath concluded with a vision for India as a symbol of sustainable growth and harmony with nature, calling for a united path forward in safeguarding the environment.
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