Sunita Narain: Reflecting on four decades of environmental work

Sunita Narain, Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), sits down for a conversation about India’s environmental journey, the politics of pollution, and the fight for a more just and sustainable future through the work of the CSE. For over four decades, Sunita Narain has been one of India’s most influential environmental voices. Joining CSE in 1982 under its founder, the late Anil Aggarwal, she co-edited the landmark first State of India’s Environment report in 1985 and has since worked at the forefront of debates around air pollution, climate change, water, sustainable mobility, and the rights of communities affected by environmental degradation. Her approach has consistently connected environmental protection with the needs of India’s poor and marginalised. Sunita Narain is in conversation with Anumita Roychowdhury, the Executive Director at CSE. She has led some of CSE’s most significant campaigns on clean air and sustainable mobility, including the Right to Clean Air campaign, which helped drive stronger vehicle-emission standards and Delhi’s transition to CNG public transport. Together, they reflect on the evolution of India’s environmental movement, what has changed and what hasn’t and why science, public action, and grassroots mobilisation remain essential to environmental justice. This episode was recorded at the Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi. Grassroots Nation is a podcast from Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. Learn more at www.rohininilekaniphilanthropies.org or follow @RNP_foundation on social media.