Environmental justice and rural poverty: Socioeconomic drivers of environmental impact in the Indian Sundarbans

This study explores the complex relationship between environmental degradation and rural poverty through the perspective of environmental justice in the Indian Sundarbans. This region is recognized for its ecological richness but faces significant socio-economic vulnerabilities. Despite the area's abundant natural resources and biodiversity, rural poverty persists, shaping resource use patterns and environmental outcomes. The main objective is to examine how rural poverty affects the environment and to identify key socio-economic factors influencing ecosystem services in the region. A stratified sampling technique was used to select households and data were collected through structured questionnaires and focus group discussions. Household-level CO₂ emissions were estimated from domestic fuel and energy consumption. Results show nearly half of the household emissions come from burning firewood for cooking and heating. These practices not only release stored carbon but also reduce the region's carbon removal capacity, directly contributing to environmental degradation. The people of the Sundarbans pollute far less than the national average, but they face the harshest impacts of climate change: rising sea levels, salinity intrusion and ecosystem decline that highlighting a profound environmental injustice. Among rural households, the extremely poor emit more CO₂ than the less poor because they depend on cutting trees to survive, further weakening the region's natural carbon sink. A log-linear regression model identifies education, dependency ratio, livelihood diversification and access to transport as major factors influencing natural resource-based income. The findings suggest that poverty, isolation and low education reinforce ecological stress, forming a poverty - environment trap. This study argues that protecting the Sundarbans' environmental integrity and enhancing its carbon sequestration potential are inseparable from improving human well-being. Achieving India's net-zero target by 2070 requires policies that expand clean energy access, build human capabilities and ensure justice for communities who contribute least to emissions but suffer the most from climate disruption.<i>Implications</i>: This study emphasizes the urgent need to integrate poverty alleviation with environmental sustainability in climate-vulnerable regions like the Indian Sundarbans. Rural poverty contributes to environmental degradation by increasing dependence on forest resources, leading to unsustainable practices and higher CO₂ emissions. Low education levels, limited livelihood opportunities and inadequate infrastructure intensify both poverty and ecological stress. To tackle environmental degradation, it is essential to implement conservation efforts alongside interventions that improve education, enhance connectivity, diversify livelihoods and strengthen social protection. Aligning environmental justice with rural development can break the cycle of poverty and ecological damage, promoting long-term resilience and sustainability.