Almost every other day, headlines about climate change and its deadly repercussions jump out of various mass media to grab our attention. But when familiarity breeds contempt, public reception of repeated warnings of environmental degradation due to this irreversible phenomenon is lukewarm at best and indifferent at worst.
While many citizens and the government in Goa prefer to bury their heads in the sand when the knell of climate change tolls, they continue to exploit the environment, sometimes within an inch of its life, if only to reap their profits and line their pockets. Rampant tree-felling, for instance, is directly linked to an increase in temperatures in the area concerned while hill-cutting signals the shriveling of aquifers that are so crucial to the sustenance of flora, fauna and human life as well. The hacking of sand dunes along the state's coastline to facilitate the construction of 'sea view' guesthouses and resorts has thrown the shore open to the onslaught of the unforgiving ocean, which, in one fell swoop, is more than able to reduce any coastal structures to rubble.
The India Meteorological Department on Wednesday declared 2024 to be the country's hottest year in 120 years. The last time such a phenomenon was recorded was in 1901, before any of us were even born. While we suffer from a chronic case of the 'not-in-my-backyard' syndrome when we come across alarming reports like this one, what we fail to acknowledge is that doomsday is inching closer and closer to our homes whether we like it or not.
If there is one sector that has faced unprecedented challenges due to accelerated climate change, it is Goa's tourism industry, which, ironically, is the state's main breadwinner. Erratic weather patterns - such as rainfall during every single month in recent years - may seem inconsequential, but have greatly affected operations of stakeholders like shack operators and wedding venue owners, both of whom heavily depend on fair weather to ensure steady business and revenue flow.
Rising tides and coastal erosion has dealt beach tourism a punch in the gut too. In many areas, including at the mouth of the Baga creek in North Goa, the sea has taken over a patch of beach where a shack would be set up every tourist season until the past couple of years. Presently, waves menacingly run over this area where a shack once safely stood. What's more is that they threaten to race further inland. If this isn't enough cause for alarm, what is?
Goa's fishing industry too has borne the brunt of climate change as rough seas and inclement weather due to storms becoming more frequent than before means that trawlers and purse seiners have to stay anchored for more days than they previously would. The domino effect of lesser catch and therefore lesser revenue hits not only the fishing industry but also hotels and the common man who are heavily dependent on seafood.
Infrastructure development also takes a hit when the weather is unpredictable as roads cannot be tarred and safety cannot be ensured when persistent waterlogging due to unseasonal rain has become more or less the order of the day. Bad roads means more time spent in traffic snarls and a consequent increase in carbon monoxide emissions only worsens the greenhouse effect which environmentalists have been crying hoarse about for so long.
The government's lack of will or awareness to treat climate change as a crisis does not bode well for the state and its people. There must be a sense of urgency for more robust engagement from policymakers, industry leaders, and members of the general public if the blow of this phenomenon is to be softened at all. Else, everyone across the board will be left with no option but to cross their fingers and anticipate the worst once the terrors of climate change knock at our doors.