Up-Skilling or Green Skilling?

Achieving Net Zero does not need upskilling but it demands green skilling. Fortunately, those green skills are not difficult to acquire. The nature is the university, and the flora and fauna are the professors. Observations are the textbooks. Biodiversity represents various departments of the universities and the projects already implemented by the various students of nature are the solutions to the climate crisis.

Sounds like deepfake? Augmented and Deceptive reality?

Take for example a beehive which we hardly observe and even misunderstand as a 'source of honey'! The deep observations tell us how to work collectively in adverse conditions for focussed objectives. How not to engage in border disputes, cross-country conflicts, and territorial wars to kill others. In pursuit of collecting honey how to benefit other species (in this case humans!) by pollination?

But that is not an isolated example. The ants, another tiny species teach us discipline in queuing up to fetch limited food and store it for future adversity. They also build mounds of soil that can keep temperatures comfortable without using air conditioning and other energy guzzlers and emission sources. I can go on and on with such examples.

Green TERRE Foundation has undertaken a very comprehensive program to promote 'learning from nature' by going to the forest and by compiling and collating traditional nature-based wisdom and solutions. This movement is called "Learning Net Zero from Nature'.

The climate crisis is looming large and already started affecting our daily lives. Universities can be very effective centres for innovation and green transformation if youth 'copy' such innovations and green transformation from nature. END

 Dr Rajendra Shende

Former Director UNEP, IIT BombayAlumni

Founder Director, Green TERRE Foundation

Prime Mover Smart Campus Cloud Network 

Coordinating lead author of IPCC.