GREEN GOVERNANCE IN GREENERY STATE: EXAMINING THE POLICIES, INSTITUTIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES OF KERALA

This paper investigates the extent of green governance by examining the policies, institutions and selected environmental initiatives of the greenery state, Kerala. Green governance refers to policies whereby people share strategies to address environmental concerns during development. One of the states in the country that offers a very distinct social and political character, Kerala is at the forefront of decentralization and community-based growth and development. The study, based mainly on secondary data sources, used simple percentages, tables, charts and trend lines to analyse and present key green governance factors and indicators. The results show that public grassroots engagement and participation are Kerala's main advantages and its main problems are the tendency towards urbanisation and industrial pollution. Suggestions are given on how to improve the green governance structures.