The world population became more urban than rural in 2007. The global urban population today, is the highest that it has ever been in the history of the world. Consequently, cities around the world are facing tremendous population pressure. This has resulted in rapid degradation of natural resources like water and air in urban areas.

Urban environments today are facing an increasing challenge and sustaining urban growth is becoming more and more difficult. The problem is even more complex in developing countries like India. Delhi, for instance, has become the most polluted city in the world due to air pollution.

Cities have also become a major source of water pollution and point source of large-scale waste generation. The transport sector in cities, a major source of air pollution, needs to be made more sustainable and inclusive. Urban poverty is yet another challenge and along with being an ethical dilemma, it leads to removal and burning of wood from urban trees as source of fuel.

Solutions to these problems exist in the form of environment and people friendly policies and practices like shifting to renewable energy sources, fixing the public transport, ensuring innovative means of waste segregation etc. There is thus a need to promote a policy level shift towards ensuring sustainable, inclusive and smart cities.

Delhi Greens is working to identify, evaluate and advocate environmental policies for promoting sustainable urban development.