Climate Impact
India cities vulnerable to climate impact, need $2.4 tln by 2050
This story was originally published at 14:46 IST on 22 July 2025
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NEW DELHI – Indian cities are "highly vulnerable" to the impact of climate change and will be unable to reach their full potential as per their current development trajectory, the World Bank said Tuesday. Cities will need over $2.4 trillion by 2050, when urbanisation is estimated to reach 43%, to meet the investment needs for new, resilient, and low-carbon infrastructure and services in cities, as per the multilateral development bank.
By 2070, Indian cities may require $10.9 trillion of investments in scenario where 52% urbanisation has been reached. The country will need larger investments--$2.8 trillion by 2050 and $13.4 trillion by 2070--if higher urbanisation is reached.
"They (Indian cities) are highly vulnerable to climate impacts because of the heavy concentration of people and assets, and they have limited capacity to manage these impacts," the World Bank said in a report titled 'Towards Resilient and Prosperous Cities in India'. "Given rapid urbanization, time is limited to undertake the necessary planning and to scale up investment in resilient urban development, which is essential not only to make cities more efficient and liveable, but also to reduce future climate and disaster impacts."
The World Bank projects urban population in India to almost double to 951 million by 2050 and then rise to 1.1 billion by 2070. Around 70% of new jobs will also come from cities by 2030, it said. To house this growing urban population, India will need more than 144 million urban dwelling units between 2022 and 2070, more than doubling the existing housing stock, the World Bank said.
"This gives Indian cities a huge opportunity to plan for resilient urban development and avoid large future damages and losses from climate and disaster impacts," the World Bank said. "Given that the building and infrastructure retrofitting is very costly, there must be an immediate focus not only on better preparing cities for climate impacts, but also on shaping urban growth in a climate-resilient manner, necessary for improving quality of life and achieving vibrant economic growth."
Without timely interventions, Indian cities will face increased flooding, water scarcity, and extreme heat, the report said. "If nothing changes, it is projected that heat-related deaths in Indian cities will double by 2050," it added.
To urgently help Indian cities, the World Bank report has recommended implementation of programmes to address extreme urban heat and flooding, including green spaces, installation of cool roofs, and effective early warning systems. The multilateral development bank has also suggested investments in resilient infrastructure and municipal services, modernisation of solid waste management, and make urban transport flood resilient. Improve access to urban finance through better private sector engagement will also help support vulnerable populations, the report said. End
US$1 = INR 86.36
Reported by Shubham Rana
Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury
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