Tackling Extreme Heat through Urban Forestry in Delhi

The briefing examines the impact of extreme heat and the urban heat island effect in Delhi, highlighting that the city is ranked as the second most heat-stressed city globally. It proposes that while Delhi has significant green space, including 18,000 parks and the Central Ridge, much of it is underutilized or dominated by invasive species like Prosopis juliflora. The author advocates for a transition from emergency heatwave planning to long-term nature-based solutions, specifically through the planting of locally adapted native species tailored to specific micro-habitats. The document provides five recommended practices for maximizing ecosystem health, emphasizing the need for a scientific species selection framework and the prioritization of greening in low-income, high-density neighborhoods to address heat equity.

• Delhi is identified as the second most heat-stressed city globally, with temperatures reaching a record 49C (120F) on May 15th.
• Urban nature provides significant cooling: green cover reduces physiologically equivalent temperatures by 514 percent, water bodies can lower temperatures by up to 8C, and individual trees can provide cooling equivalent to a 7 kilowatt air conditioner.
• To maximize heat mitigation, the document recommends five practices: creating a scientific species selection framework, modeling planting on healthy forest ecosystems, adhering to root and soil health best practices, using biological methods for invasive species control, and ensuring nurseries supply locally adapted native species.

APA

Anand, R. (2022). Tackling Extreme Heat through Urban Forestry in Delhi. RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/tackling-extreme-heat-through-urban-forestry-in-delhi/

Chicago

Anand, Raghav. Tackling Extreme Heat through Urban Forestry in Delhi. RMI, 2022. https://rmi.org/resources/tackling-extreme-heat-through-urban-forestry-in-delhi/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Anand |first1=Raghav |title=Tackling Extreme Heat through Urban Forestry in Delhi |publisher=RMI |date=7 September 2022 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/tackling-extreme-heat-through-urban-forestry-in-delhi/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{anand2022tackling, author = {Anand, Raghav}, title = {{Tackling Extreme Heat through Urban Forestry in Delhi}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/tackling-extreme-heat-through-urban-forestry-in-delhi/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }