NEW DELHI: A new study reveals that India has lost 5.6% of its green areas, while the expansion of non-green land is linked to rising summer temperatures across the country.
Areas experiencing a loss of green cover exhibited an average summer temperature increase of 0.26°C. This indicates that the conversion of vegetated land to non-green surfaces is generally associated with warming.
Conducted by the climate mitigation advocacy organization Climate Trends, the study analyses satellite data and highlights the crucial role of greenery in regulating temperatures through processes such as evapotranspiration. It emphasizes that protecting and increasing green spaces is essential for combating climate change in India.
The research, titled "Assessment of Green Cover Dynamics and Their Influence on Summer Temperature across India Using MODIS Land Cover and ERA5 Reanalysis Data," reports a significant 5.6% decline in green cover from 2001 to 2025.
Specifically, this means that the area covered by greenery decreased from approximately 36.95% to 31.35%, while non-green areas—such as urban developments and barren lands—increased from 63.05% to 68.65%.
This shift has contributed to higher temperatures because non-green surfaces tend to be warmer than those covered with vegetation. Throughout the study period, the average temperature difference between these areas ranged from 1°C to 2.5°C.
The study underscores the importance of green spaces in maintaining cooler temperatures through processes like evapotranspiration and providing shade, which help keep the land's surface cooler and more moisture-rich. This highlights the need to protect and expand green cover in India to combat rising temperatures and improve overall climate conditions.
Vegetation not only reduces the average summer temperature but also influences the overall temperature distribution across the country. Green-covered landscapes consistently provide a cooling effect compared to non-green surfaces throughout the study period.
The analysis revealed distinct thermal responses, emphasizing the importance of conserving and restoring vegetation for climate adaptation and sustainable land management. Non-green landscapes consistently exhibited higher summer temperatures than vegetated areas.
Land-cover transitions were spatially heterogeneous across the country. Green-cover loss was predominantly observed in western India, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, parts of central India, and various regions of peninsular India. In contrast, localized green-cover gains were identified in portions of the northeastern states, the Himalayan foothills, and scattered areas of southern and eastern India.
"The persistent 1–2.5°C summer temperature difference between green and non-green landscapes highlights the role of vegetation in regulating local thermal conditions through evapotranspiration, shading, and moisture retention," said Dr. Palak Balyan, Research Lead at Climate Trends.
The study recommends maintaining existing vegetation, preventing unnecessary green-cover loss, and promoting ecological restoration as integral components of climate adaptation and sustainable land-management strategies.
Experts suggest that protecting existing natural vegetation should be treated as a priority for adaptation, especially in regions facing simultaneous green-cover loss and rising summer temperatures.
