New Delhi, June 5 -- There's a strange thing happening in South Asia right now. Walk through parts of Dhaka or outside Delhi, and you'll spot the signs everywhere - solar panels glittering on rooftops, billboards with glossy words like "eco-smart," "net zero," and "green future."

Official speeches are filled with talk of clean growth. Corporate social media is bursting with photos of saplings being planted, plastic being recycled, and emissions being offset. It's a shiny image. Polished, optimistic, very Instagram-friendly. And, in many cases, not even close to the truth.

Ground reality is different

Behind all the climate talk, the reality on the ground tells a different story - one of toxic rivers, coal-fired power plants still hummin...