Urbanisation - Question of Cities

‘Cutting trees has become as routine as buying stamps at post office’

Call them tree warriors or green crusaders. They are fighting the tough battle in cities across India – Dehradun, Delhi, Bengaluru – to preserve and protect trees both for their intrinsic value and to combat the effects of climate change.…

As Hyderabad keeps transforming, Old City keeps its stories alive

Steeped in history, Hyderabad has a rich tapestry of stories of not just the many imposing ancient monuments but also its popular food culture. To know the city and its foundations is important to feel connected and try to protect…

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 about the urban poor remain unaddressed. Without dedicated global public grants to build ‘urban resilience’, especially for urban…

Lesser-known world summits for the planet and people

Away from the international glare of the annual climate summit, other equally important global conferences were held through October-November – the UN Conference of Parties on Biodiversity (also called COP16) which focused on funds to protect the world’s biodiversity but…

‘Goa has successful ecological movements but we should not have to keep doing this’

From a languid destination for vacations, Goa has turned into a hotspot for tourism projects, real estate development, and large investments. Village lands, khazan lands, lush forests, and a natural water network have come under intense pressure from massive development…

They woke us up to climate change, and an equitable world

Over the past decades, multilateral agencies and international organisations drew forces together to conduct studies that led to path-breaking reports on environment and development, brought world leaders together to agree on cutting emissions, and laid down the goals and framework…

Pune’s growth story reminds us that nature does not send an invoice

As Pune amalgamates larger non-urban areas into the city limits, expanding in all directions, the frenzy of development has also meant fast-depleting natural areas. The frequent floods and harsh summers are alarms that can no longer be ignored. As the…

Green movements as guardians of Pune’s nature

Individual efforts and collective actions by Punekars to save Pune’s ecological heritage in the past few years have brought hope to the city. A bevy of green movements, democratic and participatory, have used creative events and legal means to protest…

Why Mumbai has failed to become flood-ready

The city of dreams is wading through a flood of problems. The rain photos are the same every year — people negotiating knee-deep water, traffic jams, stationary trains in submerged waters. The rainfall has intensified over the years, increasing the…

Climate disasters are connected to the way our cities are planned

Cities have completely ignored their natural areas. If mapped and made available on a public database, people can be empowered with the knowledge about them and can decide to protect them. Mapping a city’s ecology can radically change the way…