The Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) annual Anil Agarwal Dialogue (AAD) returns this year with a sharp focus on a planet under strain and a media landscape in flux.
From February 25-27, 2026 at the Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute (AAETI) in Nimli, Rajasthan, AAD 2026 promises three days of intense deliberation, field immersion and conversations that bridge science, policy and journalism.
The formal inauguration on February 25 will centre on the release of CSE and Down To Earth’s Annual State of India’s Environment 2026 report. Sunita Narain, director-general CSE will present key findings, followed by keynote perspectives from Justice Deepak Gupta, former judge of the Supreme Court of India, and Ashok Lavasa, former secretary, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Their addresses are expected to frame the current environmental context through the twin lenses of law and governance.
The thematic arc of AAD 2026 reflects the urgency of converging crises. A session on “Humans, Animals & Climate Change” on February 25 will examine biodiversity loss and shifting species behaviour, with inputs from conservation biologist Qamar Qureshi, IISER Pune’s Milind Watve and Ninad Mungi of Aarhus University. An open house on reporting will bring together journalists from The Indian Express, Sanctuary Asia and Down To Earth to reflect on covering wildlife and conflict.
The following day, participants will turn to the interlinked challenges of air pollution and climate change. Sessions will unpack source apportionment, monitoring gaps and health impacts, featuring experts such as Harsha Kota (IIT Delhi) and Dr Sanjeev Bagai. The afternoon’s climate session, titled “Apocalypse is Now – The Breaching of the Planetary Boundaries”, will explore new climate regimes, coral collapse and systemic ecological stress.
The day will conclude with two AAD Conversations on the Aravallis and poverty.
The final day foregrounds waste, heat and health. Discussions on marine litter, extended producer responsibility and solid waste management in India’s northeast will precede a session on “Health and Environment – The Emerging Triggers”, addressing urban heat, the gut microbiome and the environment–food–health interface.
This time, AAD 2026 will also host film screenings and a dedicated workspace on visualising environmental stories and navigating artificial intelligence and fact-checking, signalling the Dialogue’s commitment not just to environmental substance, but to the craft of communicating it.
Held in memory of CSE founder Anil Agarwal, the Dialogue remains a rare forum where scientists, policymakers and journalists step away from the news cycle to reflect, interrogate and reimagine India’s environmental future.