Leadership Detail

Sunita Narain

Director

Sunita Narain is a Delhi-based environmentalist and author. She is currently the Director General of Center for Science and Environment (CSE) and Editor of the fortnightly magazine, Down To Earth. Sunita Narain plays an active role in policy formulation on issues of environment and development in India and globally. She has in her over 4 decades of work conducted in-depth research on the governance and management of the environment and directed campaigns on air pollution control, community water management, pesticide regulation and sustainable urbanization etc. She has also worked extensively on climate change, with a particular interest in advocating for an ambitious and equitable global agreement. Her effort to combine science-based evidence and solutions with a pro-poor perspective to mainstream environmental concerns in public policy and society has been richly awarded in India and internationally. She was a member of the Indian Prime Ministers Council on Climate Change and has been awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour. In 2005, CSE was awarded the Stockholm Water Prize under her leadership. In 2016, Time Magazine listed her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Narain also appeared alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the documentary Before The Flood and talked about the impact of climate change on the Monsoon in India and how it affects farmers communities. She continues to serve on national and international committees on environment and work to research and build awareness about the urgency of action on environment and development.