India’s race against climate change just got a price tag $2.4 trillion. That’s how much the country needs to invest by 2050 to make its rapidly growing cities livable, resilient, and low-carbon, according to a new World Bank report.
The challenge is unprecedented: by 2050, India’s urban population will nearly double, and over half of the necessary infrastructure hasn’t even been built yet. Without action, annual flood-related losses, now at $4 billion, could swell to $30 billion by 2070.
Today, urban infrastructure spending is just 0.7% of GDP, far below global standards. And private sector involvement remains minimal. The World Bank urges a major rethink: India needs stronger federal–local coordination, innovative financing tools, and a task force to unlock both public and private capital at scale.
But there’s an upside. Building climate-smart infrastructure now could reduce future losses, protect lives, and power sustainable growth in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations.
