We just had the worst floods in 40 years, we have had the heaviest rainfall in a century last year, we have had cyclones originating from the Arabian Sea, with regularity that has never been known before. Are these all early signs of climate change, and if they are what is Goa doing about them? We make an attempt at finding answers to that question today by speaking to experts and climate change activists in our review section and come to the conclusion that Goa cannot remain isolated from climate change effects and has to do its bit along with the rest of the world.
Weather changes, quite unpredictable at times, can cause much damage to livelihoods and property and the State experienced this first hand with the cyclone and then the floods this year, which makes it absolutely important to tackle weather phenomenon when the effects are still reversible. Starting today at Glasgow, Scotland is what many believe could be the last best chance to get climate change under control. It is the United Nations Climate Change Conference that has been taking place for nearly three decades bringing together almost every country for global climate summits. This is the 26th COP (Conference of the Parties) as it is called that is happening from this Sunday, taking the issue from being a fringe one to a global priority. COP26 will have more than190 world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where thousands of negotiators, government representatives, industry captains and citizens will be present.
Six years ago at COP21, the Paris Agreement was signed where almost every country committed to reduce carbon emissions to limit global warming to below 2 degrees and ideally to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. This was one of the most important agreements as it set the agenda for what countries around the world have to do. Committing to limit temperature rise was an important decision as even a fraction of a degree of warming has been known to result in tragedy of lives lost and livelihoods damaged. It was also agreed that every five years countries would come back with an updated plan reflecting their highest possible ambition.
Much is expected from this conference and not just because preparation time was increased by a year due to the pandemic. It is during COP26 that countries will update plans for reducing emissions as the commitments of the Paris agreement did not achieve the result of coming close to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. Countries, therefore, will have to go further with their efforts to ensure that temperature rise will be limited to 1.5 degrees.
India, that is on the way to meeting its targets set under the Paris Agreement, is looking for some firm outcomes at the conference from developed countries in providing more financing and technology for tackling climate change. The Prime Minister before his departure for the summit said that the country is taking ‘ambitious action’ on expanding clean and renewable energy and ‘creating new records in collective effort for climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience’. At the summit, the Prime Minister is expected to highlight the need to ‘comprehensively address climate change issues, including equitable distribution of carbon space, support for mitigation and adaptation and resilience building measures, mobilisation of finance, technology transfer and importance of sustainable lifestyles’.
If the country is on the path to achieving its targets, Goa cannot remain behind. In the Sustainable Development Goals report released by NITI Ayog this June, Goa ranked below the national average in climate change mitigation and has the highest consumption of fossil fuel at 547 kg per capita. That would naturally have to change.
