Introduction

This volume explores the intersection of Nepal’s environmental problems with its deep patterns of marginalization by caste, ethnicity, gender and social class. It examines these problems in Nepal’s high mountains, its middle hills, its lowland Tarai, and its urban centers. This introduction shows how our study grows from the environmental justice movement in the United States and traditions of political ecology within geography and anthropology. Environmental justice can be defined as “the overburdening of vulnerable populations by environmental contaminants, exclusion from environmental resources, and marginalization in environmental policy and decision-making.” The introduction also offers quick summaries of the 24 chapters in the book. It lists “key lessons and themes,” including the importance of interdisciplinarity, good governance, social and environmental agency, disaggregated data, and local people’s voices.