By: Mohd Younus Bhat

While climate change is real and climate research is urgent, there is a darker reality that cannot be ignored. The climate crisis has turned into a big-money industry that focuses more on appearances than real results. Leaders across the world have declared climate emergencies. Trillions have been pledged for adaptation and mitigation. Projects are approved in international summits, glossy reports are released with theatrical flair, and consultants fly from one sustainability conference to another. But the grim metrics continue unabated—carbon emissions rise, ice caps melt, and heatwaves grow more frequent and deadly. The promises grow louder while the planet gets hotter.

What has emerged is not just inefficiency—it is profiteering under the pretext of planetary salvation. Climate change has been commodified, repackaged as a billion-dollar business opportunity. At the heart of this system is an unholy nexus of bureaucrats, researchers, and policy brokers who monetize the crisis rather than solve it. Research projects that claim to “build resilience” or “develop frameworks for green futures” are routinely funded, with little or no field validation. And in most cases, what exists are verbose documents, animated presentations, and a trail of unspent or misused money.

Consider the Green Climate Fund (GCF), launched to support vulnerable countries in confronting climate change. Despite its noble intention, several funded projects have shown no measurable results on the ground. For example, in Senegal, a multi-million-dollar project aimed at coastal resilience faced criticism from civil society organizations for failing to deliver basic safeguards........

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