#32 Environmental Law in Action : Turning Snakebites into Policy Reform

Update: 2025-08-26

Description

It is estimated that annually 58000 people die of snakebites in India. The WHO considers snakebite envenoming a neglected tropical disease (NTD). Yet, the issue receives less attention.

Meet Shubhra Sotie, an environmental lawyer who was part of the team that helped turn this neglected crisis into action, making snakebite a notifiable disease in Karnataka, a step that later paved the way for national adoption.

Through candid stories of exotic pet trade chaos, diluted environmental laws, and unexpected policy gaps, she uncovers the unglamorous but crucial work of translating science into actionable policy. This is a refreshingly honest conversation about confronting powerful interests, building unlikely coalitions, and how real environmental change happens from a legal point of view.

Guests : Shubhra Sotie
Host: Dinesh Kumar C, Arjun Shrivatsan
Editor: Abhinav Suresh
Cover Art: Akshay Joshi

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keywords : environmental lawyer , snake bite, notifiable disease, wildlife policy reform ,conservation, ethical reform,public health