Climate Change | How climate change affects cities

Tree lessons from the world for sustainable cities

From the Library of Trees in Milan to the Master Plan for Barcelona’s trees 2017-2037 at the centre of local policies, from green roofs in Copenhagen and Toronto to Soeul’s winding tree paths, cities around the world are finding ways…

Three trends in cities we will closely watch in 2025

As curtains come down on 2024, the hottest year on record, building sustainable cities has become more urgent than ever. What kinds…

What enraged us and what gladdened us in 2024: An overview

When we look back at the year fast closing upon us all, there was not much to cheer about how our cities…

Move the air pollution needle to smaller and neglected cities

Conversations and policies on air pollution are mostly centred on Delhi and Mumbai but other cities and towns have been facing toxic…

Can India’s National Clean Air Programme ensure good air and environmental justice?

The ambitious National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), in its framework and practice, missed the idea of people’s participation or ‘atmospheric citizenship’. Despite…

Air pollution hits women informal workers hard and different

Like other aspects of cities, air pollution too affects women and men differently. Besides the usual respiratory ailments associated with poor quality…

City averages not good enough to measure air pollution

The average Air Quality Index shows only the central or typical value. It cannot be an accurate representation of air quality in…

Lahore’s dangerous smog brought disease and death – and touched diplomacy

Through most of November, Lahore and Multan, among other places in Pakistan, suffered record-breaking air pollution that saw Air Quality Index in the 1000s. The official number seeking medical treatment for respiratory problems in smog-affected districts touched 1.8 million. Although…

COP is broken. Can India call it out, reimagine climate action?

The recently-concluded Conference of Parties, COP29, showed the process is compromised, hijacked by fossil fuels lobbies and developed countries, and unable to…

After COP29: Lessons and actions for urban poor and climate justice

While the role of urban areas in climate mitigation and adaptation efforts has been acknowledged, including at the annual climate summits, questions…