The State has called for inputs, suggestions, learnings, real experiences to aid Goa in dealing with climate change. The deadline for the inputs is Wednesday, which is just two days away. There, however, appears to be little information upon which the State can base any plan of action on this, as there are no studies on this. There also appears to be little interest in making suggestions to the government on the issue that is of major concern.
Based on IMD sources of 2013, the State shows that the annual mean temperature trends have shown an increase of 0.02 degrees celsius, with the post monsoon trend being 0.03 degrees celsius. Also the monsoon trend is minus 3.82 mm a year. These are the biggest takeaways from the 36-page document that the government has uploaded on the website. It does admit that there is not enough ‘substantive information and plan available to deal with the challenges of climate change specific to Goa’. Given that the government has used 2013 data, when we are in 2019 and experienced some massive changes in weather patterns, it is not surprising that there is no ‘substantive information’ to plan for the future.
We can no longer ignore the fact that climate change, or global warming as it is also termed, is not a mere myth but is a reality. Where monsoon patterns themselves are concerned, we have seen massive changes since 2013 in Goa. We have had surplus rain this monsoon, with it raining after the monsoon season, and even this week. The monsoon ended on a high of 33 per cent surplus rains. That was this year. Compare the rainfall in the past few years to appreciate just how uneven this has been.
Facts and figures that are uploaded on the MET website, with graphs for the past five monsoons prove just how irregular the seasons have been. This year it was 33 per cent above normal, but last year it was 19 per cent below normal. The previous year 2017 it was 14 per cent below normal, and in 2016 it was 1 per cent less than the average. In 2015 it was a 20 per cent deficit and the year previous to that it was 3 per cent above the mean. So just how normal have the seasons been for the past few years? When these statistics are available on the website, why should the government rely on 2013 figures when it gets down to planning for climate change?
It is not just the uneven monsoon, but the later start to the monsoon and the extended rains that go beyond the normal season that are causes of concern in the State. According to the document, India is the 6th most vulnerable nation to climate change and one can’t rule out that Goa is also susceptible to climate change. It has already been predicted by Nobel laureate and UN climate change panel’s former chairperson Rajendra Pachauri that Goa could face a rise in the ocean levels of up to 98 cm. Something like this would have disastrous consequences for Goa.
Goa needs to look into the past to plan for the future. It has turned from a very green land to one where concrete structures dominate in the more developed areas. Environmental destruction that started decades ago – whether through mining on the eastern edge of the land or through real estate development on the western periphery – it is all definitely taking a toll on the State, and you don’t need an expert to vouch for this. It is good that the State is displaying some concern on this front, but, whether the exercise will be fruitful will depend on the participation of the people. The State could perhaps take a leaf from Italy, where school students in all grades will now be required to study climate change and sustainability. This is attempted to make Italy a world leader in environmental education. Why can’t Goa be India’s leader in environmental education?
