Urbanisation in Bhubaneshwar impacts winter temperatures

Subject: Geography

Section: Climatology

Context:

Bhubaneswar, a tier-II city in Odisha, exemplifies rapid urbanization and warming trends, with a 166% increase in built-up area from 2004-2015 and a 0.68C temperature rise in the last two decades, especially pronounced in newly urbanized peripheries.

Details:

The ministerial meeting at COP-28 emphasized the crucial role of cities in achieving climate change mitigation and adaptation goals.
Despite cities contributing over 80% to the global GDP and 75% of greenhouse gas emissions, their representation in climate action plans is insufficient.
Recent developments, such as the inclusion of the 11th Sustainable Development Goal exclusively focusing on cities and the formation of groups like U-20, highlight the recognition of the importance of city-level action plans.

Local activities:

In the implementation of a digital twin for Bhubaneswar at IIT Bhubaneswar, computer simulations were conducted to analyze urban growth and micro-climate changes.
Results indicate that nearly 60% of the city’s observed warming is attributed to local activities.
Additional warming arises from heat-trapping materials (concrete and asphalt) in urban construction and decreased evapotranspiration due to artificial surfaces.
The simulations revealed a 0.4°C enhanced warming in the eastern lowland regions during winter, influenced by topography and reduced wind speeds.
Urban development’s impact on winter surface temperatures underscores the intricate relationship between urbanization and climate.
These changes are expected to affect rainfall patterns, intensify urban floods, and alter air pollution dispersion.
The digital twin facilitates experimenting with mitigation strategies like cool roofs and green infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of local-scale efforts in addressing observed warming and its consequences.

Amplifying factors:

The increasing population and reliance on city resources pose ongoing challenges, emphasizing the need for science-driven strategies to address vulnerabilities in cities.
Building climate-resilient smart cities is crucial for ensuring the well-being of the growing urban population.

Source: TH