Sunita Narain

Biography

Sunita Narain is a globally respected environmentalist, researcher, and public intellectual with over four decades of leadership in shaping national and international discourse on sustainable development, climate justice, water governance, and environmental equity. She is the Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi. Under her stewardship, CSE has advanced a distinctive model of knowledge-based activism that combines rigorous research, public campaigns, and strategic policy engagement. The institution has been widely recognized as one of the most influential environmental think tanks in the developing world and has received major national and international honours, including the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development. Narain has been instrumental in bridging science and policy, advocating development pathways that are both ecologically sustainable and socially just. Her work focuses on air pollution mitigation, climate negotiations, community-led water harvesting, affordable sanitation, waste management, and circular economy approaches. She has consistently emphasized that environmental protection must go hand in hand with inclusive growth, particularly for countries of the Global South. A prolific author and editor, she has co-authored and edited numerous landmark publications, including the State of India’s Environment series and influential books such as Global Warming in an Unequal World, Dying Wisdom, Excreta Matters, and Conflicts of Interest – My Journey through India’s Green Movement. Her writings have shaped global conversations on equity in climate policy and decentralized, people-centered ecological restoration. Among her many recognitions are the Padma Shri and the Stockholm Water Prize. She was also featured in the documentary Before the Flood alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, where she highlighted the impacts of climate change on India’s monsoon-dependent farming communities.