Anil Agarwal Dialogue back with host of environmental issues up for discussion

The Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) signature media event, the Anil Agarwal Dialogue (AAD), is back. The three-day conclave will commence on February 26, 2025, at CSE’s state-of-the-art residential environmental training facility, the Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute (AAETI), in Nimli, Alwar district, Rajasthan.

This year’s AAD will, once again, bring together journalists and environmental experts from all over India to discuss some of the burning environmental issues that confront the country.

Day 1 will see the release of CSE and Down To Earth’s annual State of India’s Environment 2025 report.

The report, published every year by DTE, is a comprehensive documentation of the year’s major developments and happenings in a wide range of subjects and issues — ranging from climate change and waste management to air and water pollution, industrial contamination and food.

The Annual State of India’s Environment 2025 report is available here on sale.

This year’s event will have sessions on the state of forests, wildlife and biodiversity, chemicals in the environment, the state of extreme weather, the state of agriculture, the state of states, India’s electrification agenda and the state of health.

Highlights will include a panel discussion on Day 1 between Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa and former Chief Executive Officer, NITI Ayog; Montek Singh Ahluwalia, former Deputy Chairperson, Planning Commission; Raj Liberhan, Management and Financial Expert and Chairperson, Executive Board, CSE and Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE and Editor, Down To Earth on ‘Anti-environmentalism in a Climate-risked, De-globalised World’.

Day 2 will see Richard Mahapatra, Managing Editor, DTE, in conversation with author Ramchandra Guha.

Lunch will be curated by Vibha Varshney, Head, Biodiversity and Food, CSE.

The Anil Agarwal Dialogue is held in memory of Anil Agarwal (1947-2002), the founder-director of CSE. Agarwal spent his lifetime advocating policies that involve people in natural resource management and learn from India’s traditions.

In 1980, he founded CSE, one of India’s first environmental NGOs to analyse and study the relationship between environment and development and create public consciousness about the need for sustainable development.

In 1992, Agarwal launched DTE, the fortnightly newsmagazine on science, environment and development.