Pune has suffered a 34% drop in its ability to absorb carbon over the past decade, according to a new study, raising alarms for urban centres across India.
The joint research by MIT-World Peace University (MIT-WPU) and Sustaina Greens LLP attributes this decline to rapid urbanisation and vanishing green spaces, underscoring the urgent need for climate-sensitive development. Between 2013 and 2022, the city’s built-up area increased by 12%, replacing forests, hills, wetlands, and other natural buffers. This shift has not only diminished Pune’s carbon sequestration capacity but also reduced its flood mitigation potential by 13%, as natural drainage systems give way to unchecked construction near rivers and floodplains. The study, led by Dr Pankaj Koparde and Pratiksha Chalke and published in Sustainable Futures, details the environmental cost of ignoring native ecosystems. It warns that tropical cities like Pune are at a tipping point, where further growth without ecological foresight could intensify the impact of climate change—particularly erratic monsoons and rising heat.
“Our findings show that Pune’s hills, wetlands, and rivers aren’t just scenic—they are essential infrastructure,” said Dr Koparde. “Urban development must work with nature, not against it.” The report recommends urgent protection of the city’s remaining green buffers, adoption of ecosystem service valuation, and integrated urban planning that factors in environmental data. It also pushes for policy reforms to ensure future urban expansion does not further erode ecological safeguards. Calling the study a “wake-up call”, MIT-WPU Vice-Chancellor Dr R. M. Chitnis said, “Sustainability must not be an afterthought in development. Science and policy must come together to protect our cities.”
With cities across India and the Global South facing similar pressures, Pune’s decline offers a stark lesson—growth that ignores ecology puts urban futures at risk.
