The Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) has grown very fast over the last few decades, but this rapid urban growth has also damaged the natural environment. This has raised serious concerns about the city's future sustainability. In this study, we analysed land-use changes, examined how urban growth is linked to vegetation loss, and studied how ecological conditions have changed across the region. We used satellite images from 1991 to 2025 and predicted land-use changes up to 2050. The results show that built-up areas increased from 21.97% in 1991 to 50.46% in 2025, and they are expected to reach 65.41% by 2050. At the same time, vegetation cover decreased sharply from 26.08% to only 6.33% by 2050. This means that as built-up areas increase, green cover decreases. However, urban growth is not the only reason; other social and spatial factors also influence vegetation loss. Satellite indices also confirm this change. The Normalised Difference Built-up Index (NDBI) increased from 0.26 to 0.55, while the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) decreased from 0.68 to 0.43. This clearly shows that natural green areas are being replaced by concrete and impervious surfaces. Moreover, per capita green space in most municipalities has dropped below the World Health Organization’s recommended minimum of 9 square meters per person. These changes show that the region is facing a large-scale biophilic deficit, meaning there is a shortage of nature within the urban environment. This leads to ecological fragmentation, loss of ecosystem services, and lower environmental resilience. Overall, the findings highlight the urgent need for better urban planning. Policymakers and planners should promote nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, and biophilic planning strategies to ensure sustainable and climate-resilient development in the KMA.