Satellite imagery now lays bare what communities have long felt: India’s cities are heating up at an alarming pace — twice as fast as the countryside. Between 2003 and 2020, urban land surface temperatures climbed about 0.53°C per decade, with pockets in cities like Bengaluru and Vijayawada spiking by up to 15°C as concrete replaced cooling green cover and water bodies.
The data shows a terrifying pattern — forests, farms and lakes once vital to cooling have been paved over for profit, enriching developers while trapping heat in sprawling cement jungles. Even when some cities increased tree cover, it wasn’t enough to offset the runaway warming driven by unchecked urban growth.
Experts warn this impacts real lives: vulnerable residents, outdoor workers, and people who can’t afford air-conditioning are first to suffer. This is not “natural” — it’s the climate crisis felled by policy failures and corporate-led urbanisation. Source link: https://www.indiaspend.com/earthcheckindia/satellite-images-show-how-cities-are-heating-up-976339.
