A #WebPolicyTalk series by the #IMPRI Center for Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainable Development (CECCSD)
The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to an unprecedented health emergency, revealing that we owe our survival to the planet Earth. Empathy and care for its rich biodiversity and natural habitat, and stopping humanity’s invasion into nature for our vicious greed would ensure a balanced ecosystem. While our immediate priority is to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we must also treat it as a wake-up call – it is high time that we started addressing the risks and adverse outcomes of human excesses on nature.
In the current era of the Anthropocene, human impacts have exceeded the capacity of the Earth by transgressing the planetary boundaries. The already huge dependencies of the global economy on biodiversity are becoming increasingly unsustainable.
With the above background, the #IMPRI Center for Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainable Development (CECCSD), along with India Water Portal, is carrying out a discussion series called #PlanetTalks to engage with experts on the environment, who would share their insights on the challenges and way forward in moving towards a sustainable planet. It would explore the role of India and other countries of the world including multilateral institutions, as well as the common population in shouldering the onus towards creating harmony between nature and humanity.

The #WebPolicyTalks are conducted via Zoom webinars and streamed live on Facebook. The event video is available on the IMPRI YouTube Channel, thereafter. A recording of the session is also available on the #WebPolicyTalk: Live at IMPRI podcast, on Spotify and Google Podcasts. An event report is published based on the deliberations and wider dissemination takes place through media coverage.
YouTube Playlist: The State of the Environment – #PlanetTalks
The audience is composed mostly of policymakers, practitioners, researchers, faculty, and University and college students across India and other countries.
The outcome of the deliberations is disseminated through various social media platforms and media outlets and is aimed at contributing to the future courses of action for policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and civil society organizations.
Below is the list of #EducationDialogue events, along with links to the relevant details:
#PlanetTalks – Events

Panel Discussion
Waste Management during COVID19: Challenges and Way Forward
9 July, 2020 | 11:00 AM
Panelists: Keith Alverson | Brajesh Kumar Dubey | Swati Singh Sambyal | Soumyadip Chattopadhyay | Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz | Counterview.net | India Water Portal | Times of India
Panel Discussion
Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2020: Reflections and the Way Forward
August 18, 2020 | 4:30 PM
Panelists: Walter Fernandes | D Raghunandan | Sucharita Sen | Leo Saldanha | Ashish Kothari | Kamna Sachdeva | Madhu Sarin | Ajit Kumar Singh | Brajesh Kumar Dubey | Sara Suresh
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz | Counterview | India Water Portal | Delhi Post News


Vulnerabilities of Indian Governance in handling Climate Crisis amid COVID-19 Pandemic and Recession
September 25, 2020 | 4:00 PM
Speaker: Leo Saldanha
Panelist: Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz | India Water Portal | Counterview
Forest Rights and People’s Movements in India: Challenges and the Way Forward amid COVID-19
September 29, 2020 | 4 PM
Speaker: Roma Malik
Panelists: Simi Mehta | Arjun Kumar
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: India Water Portal


Eco-swaraj: Towards a Rainbow Recovery for Justice and Sustainability
October 6, 2020 | 5 PM
Speaker: Ashish Kothari
Panelists: Simi Mehta | Arjun Kumar
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz
What India needs for effective Waste Management during and post coronavirus pandemic?
October 13, 2020
Speaker: Brajesh K Dubey
Panelists: Utpal K De | Arjun Kumar | Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: India Water Portal


Sustainable Mobility amid COVID-19 Pandemic: Potential Risks and Opportunities
October 16, 2020 | 11:30 AM
Speaker: Deepty Jain
Panelists: Simi Mehta | Arjun Kumar
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: India Water Portal
Perspectives on Climate Change, Society and Gender in India
October 20, 2020 | 11:30 AM
Speakers: Sucharita Sen
Panelists: Simi Mehta | Arjun Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: India Water Portal


Towards sustainable low-carbon and equitable development pathways in India
October 20, 2020 | 6PM
Speaker: D Raghunandan
Panelists: Simi Mehta | Arjun Kumar
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: India Water Portal
Exploring Sustainable Solutions to Air Pollution: Lessons from COVID-19 Pandemic
October 28, 2020 | 6 PM
Speaker: Chandra Bhushan
Panelists: E V R Raju | Arjun Kumar | Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz


Ecosystem Restoration through Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Approach
October 30, 2020 | 4 PM
Speaker: Arvind Kumar
Panelists: Arjun Kumar | Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: India Water Portal
Water Governance: Challenges and the Way Forward
November 05, 2020 | 11 AM
Speaker: Himanshu Thakkar
Panelists: Arjun Kumar | Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: India Water Portal


Sanitation Workers Amid the Pandemic: Woes of Guarding Public and Environmental Health, and Ways Forward
November 12, 2020 | 3:30 PM
Speaker: V R Raman
Panelists: Arjun Kumar | Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: India Water Portal
Science Fiction and Sustainability
November 17, 2020 | 6:15 PM
Speaker: Anandajit Goswami
Panelists: Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: India Water Portal


Should we bet more on Historians and depend less on Engineers to sort out India’s Challenges with Flooding?
December 5, 2020 | 2 PM
Speaker: Rohan D’Souza
Panelists: Simi Mehta | Arjun Kumar
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz | India Water Portal
Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) – A Flawed and Avoidable Concept
December 08, 2020 | 4 PM
Speaker: Manoj Misra
Panelists: Simi Mehta | Arjun Kumar
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz


Delhi’s Air Pollution and its Solutions
December 09, 2020 | 9:30 PM
Speaker: Gurinder Kaur
Panelists: Simi Mehta | Arjun Kumar
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz | Counterview.net | India Water Portal
Responsible Consumption and Production for Climate Action: Towards Effective Waste and Resource Management amid COVID-19 Pandemic
December 15, 2020 | 11:30 AM
Speaker: Shyamala Mani
Panelists: Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Google Podcasts | Spotify
Media Coverage: India Water Portal


Decentralized Water Resources Management: Role of Village Communities and Rural Local Governments
February 02, 2021 | 4 PM
Speaker: Liby Johnson
Panelists: Indira Khurana | Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage: India Water Portal | Youth Ki Awaaz
A Social-ecological approach to urban lake governance and sustainability in India
February 2, 2021 | 12 PM
Speaker: Mansee Bal Bhargava
Panelists: Fawzia Tarannum | Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz


Panel Discussion
Environment and Budget 2021: Business As Usual?
February 3, 2021 | 6 PM
Panelists: Ashish Kothari | Indira Khurana | Kanchan Chopra | Himanshu Thakkar | Debadityo Sinha | Simi Mehta | Manoswini Sarkar | Sunidhi Agarwal | Nikhil Jacob
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz | Counterview.org | India Water Portal
Climate Emergency, Disasters and Resilience Inclusive Business Continuity Management
February 11, 2021 | 4 PM
Speaker: Anil K Gupta
Panelists: Simi Mehta | Arjun Kumar
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz


Panel Discussion
Uttarakhand Flood Disaster 2.0: From Analysis to Action
February 17, 2021 | 4 PM
Panelists: Milap Punia | Anjal Prakash | Ranjan Borah | Nivedita Khandekar | Hemant Dhyani | Rajendra Singh | Indira Khurana | Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage: Indrastra | Counterview.net | Youth Ki Awaaz
Special Lecture
Building a Planet-Friendly Economy
March 12, 2021 | 11:30 AM
Speaker: R Balasubramanium
Panelist: Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage: Youth ki Awaaz


Distinguished Lecture
How does India Value Water
March 20, 2021 | 5 PM
Speaker: Rajendra Singh
Panelist: Indira Khurana | Simi Mehta | Alok Sikka | Nikita Madan
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz
Panel Discussion
Climate Migration in Indian Subcontinent
March 23, 2021 | 2:30 PM
Panelist: Manoj K Bindal | Anil K Gupta | R B Bhagat | Rekha Nianthi | Mizan R Khan | Karan Mangotra | Fawzia Tarannum | Deepak K Mishra
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:


How Much Water Do We Really Need?: Sustainability of Water Systems in India
April 9, 2021 | 4 PM
Speaker: Shripad Dharmadhikary
Panelists: Simi Mehta | Indira Khurana
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:
Panel Discussion
Forest Fires: Exploring the Solutions
April 30, 2021 | 11:30 AM
Speaker: Manoj K Bindal | Anil K Gupta | Simi Mehta
Panelists: Amita Singh | Tikender Panwar | Mohan Chandra Pargaien
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage: Youth Ki Awaaz


Peoples Participation in Environmental Conservation
May 31, 2021 | 11:30 AM
Speaker: Mohan Chandra Pargaien
Panelists: Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:
Achieving Sustainable Development
August 10, 2021 | 5:30 PM
Speaker: Dr. Keith Alverson
Panelists: Dr. Ram Boojh | Dr. Rema Saraswathy Moderator: Dr. Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:


Climate Change and Empowerment of Children and Youth Through Education
August 24, 2021 | 6:30 PM
Speaker: Donna Goodman
Panelists: Manish A Thakre Moderator: Dr. Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:
Education for Sustainable Development
September 2, 2021 | 6:00 PM
Speaker: Dr. Ram Boojh Moderator: Dr. Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:


Climate Change and the Future of Water Security in South Asia
September 20, 2021 | 6:00 PM
Speaker: Prof Scott Moore
Panelists: Dr. Ranjana Ray Chaudhuri | Dr. Indira Khurana Moderator: Dr. Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:
Environmental Politics and Energy Policy: A Just and Sustainable Recovery from COVID-19
September 22, 2021 | 4:30 PM
Speaker: Prof Johannes Urpelainen
Panelists: Dr. Hippu Salk Kristle Nathan Moderator: Dr. Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:


Prospects for Energy Cooperation in South Asia
October 4, 2021 | 4:00 PM
Speaker: Srinivas Krishnaswamy
Panelists: Prof Christopher Scott | Dr. Mirza Sadaqat Huda | Udisha Saklani Moderator: Dr. Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:
Delta Vision 2050: Policy, Practice, and People
November 12, 2021 | 6:30 PM
Speakers: Dr. Debjani Bhattacharyya | Dr. Megnaa Mehtta
Panelists: Dr. Reazul Ahsan Moderator: Dr. Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:


Environmental Governance in India
December 14, 2021 | 11 AM
Speaker: Prof Krishna Raj Moderator: Dr. Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:
The Environment and Union Budget 2022-23
February 3, 2022 | 4:00 PM
Chair: Ashish Kothari Panelists: Debadityo Sinha | Dr. Madhu Verma | Dr. Sharachchandra Lele | Soumya Dutta | VR Raman
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage: Counterview. org


COP 26 and Locally Led Adaptations in India and Bangladesh Sunderbans
February 22, 2022 | 5:30 PM
Chair: Dr. Jayanta Basu
Panelists: Prof Souvanic Roy | Prof Andy Large | Prof Saleemul Huq | Prof Manoj Roy | Dr. Upasona Ghosh | Dr. Debojyoti Das Moderator: Dr. Simi Mehta
Details: Event Page | Event Report
Watch: YouTube | Facebook Live
Listen: Spotify | Google Podcasts
Media Coverage:
#PlanetTalks – Team

Dr Simi Mehta
IMPRI

Amita Bhaduri
India Water Portal

Anshula Mehta
IMPRI

India Water Portal
Organising Partner
