In India’s (and the globe’s) climate conversation, three gaps are routinely spotlighted: policy, finance, and technology. These are critical, yes — but there’s a fourth, less visible gap that could quietly undermine everything else: the talent gap. Specifically, the shortage of people equipped to drive, lead, and scale climate action.

As climate ambitions grow, we find ourselves short of the people who can translate intent into implementation. Whether it’s start-ups, large companies, public institutions, or investors — all are facing the same bottleneck: a lack of sustainability-savvy talent. The demand is growing exponentially; the pipeline isn’t keeping pace.

The broader vision is simple but transformative: to turn sustainability from a siloed function into a cross-cutting priority that spans every part of an organisation. Climate action can no longer live only within CSR or ESG departments. It needs to run through operations, finance, marketing, HR, procurement — even curriculum design and school administration.

For this, leadership must evolve. Senior decision-makers — in business, government and education — need targeted support to reframe strategy through a climate lens. At the same time, middle management must be equipped to make sustainability real on the ground, across departments and disciplines. This involves the most ambitious mid-management training effort India has ever undertaken. This isn’t just about awareness; it’s about capability.

For some sectors – such as financial services and insurance sector – the need is immediate. For all sectors, the need is inevitable.

And the education sector — particularly the leaders who shape India’s skilling and entrepreneurial ecosystems — holds the key. Climate education and sustainability training have to start early — in primary school, and this needs to be the foundation for core sustainability courses through the entire learning journey. Given how dynamic climate action is, it must be designed for regular and often disruptive adaptation. We must embed sustainability into every aspect of skills development, vocational training, and entrepreneurship programmes. For instance, fostering fisheries and dairy entrepreneurs will need sustainable fisheries and climate smart dairy science in equal measure to foundation entrepreneurship skills. Much like we did with digital literacy, we now need climate literacy — at an equally expansive scale.

We’re already seeing how climate-aligned vocational training can unlock new livelihoods. In Maharashtra, a solar technician training programme supported by the Skill India Mission has equipped thousands of rural youth with skills for India’s growing renewable sector, enabling many to launch micro-enterprises or secure stable employment in solar installation and maintenance. Similarly, in Tamil Nadu, a government polytechnic integrated green building principles into its civil engineering diploma — and its graduates are now helping local construction firms comply with energy efficiency norms and access green certification markets. These are early signals of how targeted training can not only meet sustainability goals but also drive inclusive economic opportunities.

We also need to anticipate the kinds of roles that will be foundational in the low-carbon economy: energy modelers, carbon accountants, climate finance analysts, green logistics specialists, climate risk managers, circular economy designers. These are not hypothetical jobs. They’re real, growing fast, and in short supply.

India has an unparalleled opportunity. With its demographic dividend and strong education base, we can become the world’s climate talent hub. But that won’t happen by accident. It needs purposeful investment, long-term thinking, and a reorientation of how we view leadership, employment, and capability in a climate-altered world.

We’ve long discussed the missing pieces of the climate jigsaw — policy, finance, and technology. It’s time we recognised the most urgent missing piece of all: people.