This article examines the role of social inequality in shaping environmental degradation using evidence from seasonal stubble burning in northern India---an acute source of air pollution and a cross-national climate concern in the region. While previous research has emphasized the limited state capacity to enforce environmental regulations, we show that entrenched social hierarchies, particularly caste-based inequalities, significantly influence patterns of noncompliance. Triangulating evidence from village-level census records, satellite data on farm fires and meteorological data on air flow and pollutant concentration, we find that the prevalence of farm fires is notably higher where social inequality is more pronounced, and lower in villages where upper-caste groups are numerically dominant. We propose two mechanisms linking inequality to poor policy implementation. First, in villages where few upper-caste elites monopolize landholdings, we find fewer instances of administrative interventions to stop farm fires, suggesting that these powerful actors may actively impede effective policy enforcement. Second, in more socially homogeneous communities, we find greater use of shared resources, which may mitigate the incentives to adopt destructive practices, thereby reducing stubble burning. Our study underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing underlying social dynamics to inform more nuanced policy approaches when confronting environmental challenges.