Why Are Our Cities Getting Hotter? Understanding the Urban Heat Island Effect
As cities expand, natural landscapes are increasingly replaced by concrete buildings, asphalt roads, parking lots, and other impervious surfaces. These materials absorb and store heat during the day and slowly release it at night, making urban areas significantly warmer than surrounding peri-urban or rural landscapes. This is known as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) Effect.
According to the World Bank’s 2025 report, Towards Resilient and Prosperous Cities in India, temperatures in Indian city centres are already 3–4°C higher than surrounding areas. With India’s urban population projected to reach 951 million by 2050, tackling urban heat is now essential for resilient urban development.
Urban Heat Islands increase cooling demand and intensify heat stress, disproportionately affecting children, older persons, outdoor workers, economically vulnerable communities, and people with disabilities or illness. They also strain water resources, reduce biodiversity, and worsen climate impacts, affecting the liveability and productivity of cities.
Addressing urban heat requires integrated planning and nature-based solutions. Urban forests and increased tree cover provide shade and cool the air through evapotranspiration. Green roofs, vertical gardens, cool roofs, and the conservation of lakes and wetlands reduce heat absorption, improve microclimates, and support biodiversity.
At the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), these principles guide our work in environmental education and sustainable urban development. CEE supports cities through Heat Action Plans focused on adaptation, preparedness, and mitigation. We have developed urban forests, biodiversity parks, botanical gardens, nature parks, and green campuses that demonstrate the role of native vegetation in cooling cities. Through Wildlife and Nature Interpretation Centres and Science Parks, we help citizens understand the connections between ecosystems, climate, water, and sustainable urban living.
Education is central to climate action. By engaging schools, youth, local governments, institutions, and communities, CEE promotes environmental literacy and informed action for resilient cities.
As India advances climate-responsive urban planning through initiatives such as the Urban Heat Island Mitigation Framework and Mission LiFE, creating cooler cities will require collaboration among governments, planners, researchers, educational institutions, civil society organisations, and citizens.
