India saw a decline in green cover and a corresponding expansion of non-green landscapes by 5.6 percentage points between 2001 and 2025, which contributed to rising summer temperatures across the country, according to a new analysis.

"The difference in average summer temperature between the two land-cover categories (between 2001 and 2025) ranged from approximately 1 to 2.5 degrees Celsius, highlighting the important role of vegetation in regulating land-surface thermal conditions," said the analysis released on Monday by Climate Trends, a Delhi-based climate research organisation.