The Impact of Urbanisation on Global Warming: New Research Insights

A new study reveals urbanisation significantly contributes to global warming, particularly in Asia. Despite only accounting for 2% of land warming from 1992-2019, urban areas in India grew by over 350%. The study advocates including urbanisation in future climate projections, noting substantial urban growth worldwide and its varying regional impacts.

A groundbreaking study has highlighted the significant impact of urbanisation on global warming, particularly in rapidly growing regions and countries in Asia. The research found that urbanisation, while accounting for only 2% of land warming from 1992-2019, has led to unprecedented urban expansion, with areas in India growing by over 350%.

Published in the journal One Earth, the study urges the inclusion of urbanisation in future climate projections. Using satellite observations, researchers discovered that approximately 4.5 lakh square kilometres of urban land were added globally between 1992 and 2019, with Asia and Africa leading the increase.

The findings also noted regional variations, such as the highly urbanised Shanghai metropolitan region in China, where daytime temperatures rose by 0.4 degrees Celsius per decade, and nighttime temperatures by 0.48 degrees Celsius per decade from 2003-2019. Despite significant urbanisation, countries like China and India showed minimal changes in overall land surface temperatures, likely due to greening trends.