Venu Naturopathy

 

Dr Rajendra Shende

Dr Rajendra Shende

About Dr Rajendra Shende

The author is Chairman, TERRE Policy Centre and former Director UNEP

More From Dr Rajendra Shende

The Great Climate Finance Divide: Broken Promises, Systemic Hypocrisy and the Defining Challenge for COP30

COP30 can still be a watershed moment if political courage and a tech-savvy Gen Z influence outcomes. Brazil, as a major developing country hosting the summit, provides an opportunity to amplify the Global South’s voice — but only if top-down approaches of world leaders combine with the bottom-up energy of youth. The success of COP30 will be…

World Needed A Rare ‘Earth Deal’, Not Another Rare-Earth Deal!

The world needed the two largest emitters to show courage in Busan — especially when one of them, China, has already shown how ecology and economics can go hand in hand. Instead, they chose commerce over conscience.And the message to developing nations is painfully clear: When climate ambition competes with commercial bargaining — climate loses…

We Cannot Veto Our Children's Future: How Our Collective Inaction On Climate Change Is The World's Most Devastating Veto

The war in Gaza demands a ceasefire. So does our war on nature. It demands Net Zero. IPCC has written the resolution for this ‘ceasefire’. This is not a metaphor. We are extracting, polluting, and emitting our way to collective suicide by adding fossil fuel on the spreading wildfire.

World Ozone Day 2025: The Unfinished Lesson of Our Greatest Environmental Success

We are well on our way to sealing the ozone hole. But let us ensure that in doing so, we do not ignore the new fissures opening at our feet. The work of healing our planet is never complete—it simply evolves.Let our legacy be that we were wise enough to see the whole board, not just the move we just made. The ozone hole is being sealed, but the…

Can BRICS Build to Break the Climate Blockade?

BRICS has the potential—and perhaps the will. Ahead of COP30, it should convene a high-level “Redefining Climate Summit” with other like-minded nations invited to the BRICS table. Let the world know: BRICS can indeed build the force to break the climate blockade. The clock is not ticking anymore. It’s screaming.

The Kananaskis Declaration That the G7 Will Never Write: A Summit of Ironies Amidst Burning Forests

But this declaration will never be signed. The actual G7 communiqué will likely promise "managed decline" disguised as "leadership"—words drafted in servitude to the oil beneath Alberta’s soil, not in the spirit of its majestic mountains.

Beyond borders: Time to rekindle the bond between India and China, forge selective alliances

The diplomacy of restraint, recently practiced by both nations, can be a powerful asset in achieving ambitious climate targets. By working as complementary partners rather than competitors, India and China can manage growth and societal well-being in a more inclusive and sustainable manner, thereby mitigating the planet-wide existential threat…

Transacting with Trump: Can Modi turn Trump's climate denialism into an opportunity?

Modi can invoke Trump’s language and highlight business and economic opportunities along with market mechanisms that are available almost on platter while pursuing a non-fossil fuel future.  Particularly,  Modi could showcase employment generation by promoting solar energy through the International Solar Alliance. He and Trump can strike…

An Alliance of IITs to tackle the global climate crisis?

A number of leading universities and institutes around the world have initiated net-zero hubs in their campuses but India is the first country to initiate a  collaborative national movement supported by government and industry.  Integrating 23 IITs in this movement will be a groundbreaking concept that can elevate India as the world leader in…

COP28 in Dubai made history: Will COP29 in Baku mar the future?

Even though prices of solar and other clean energy are falling rapidly, the level of global electricity production from  coal and gas has not changed significantly. Countries that attended COP28 in Dubai returned after making history. Countries attending COP29 in Baku may end up wondering about the future of that history.