Extreme weather events have become more common as a result of climate change, killing thousands of people and causing trillions of dollars in economic losses. These catastrophic repercussions are forcing humankind to make a different kind of change: a shift in priorities. We need a world where policymakers are more concerned with the environmental consequences of a project than with its financial viability.
The ideal way to achieve this is to raise awareness and make people aware of how serious and precarious our situation is. To that end, World Environment Day (WED) is commemorated every year on June 5 to emphasise how close the Earth is to the point of no return. The United Nations Environment Programme describes WED as "a global forum for inspiring constructive change."
The first celebration took place in 1974 under the theme "Only One Earth." WED has functioned as a platform to raise awareness of environmental issues such as global warming, pollution, sea-level rise, population growth, sustainable consumption, and food security, among others, over the years. “Only One Earth” is the motto of WED 2022, which advocates for major policy and lifestyle reforms to enable cleaner, greener, and more sustainable living in harmony with nature.
Goa has been facing a lot many issues related to increased exploitation of resources, air, land and aquatic pollution, etc. Excessive exploitation of the state's resources at the cost of Goa's pristine environment and its population is posing a threat not only to the clean and green environment but also to wildlife. Building roads or creating settlement zones in eco-sensitive areas cause human-animal conflict, with the displaced animals entering human settlements and endangering domesticated animals and destroying agricultural produce.
In a recent study by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), the Goa’s rivers are polluted. The presence of faecal coliform bacteria, in the range of 1300 to 7900 colonies per 100 millilitres of water, has made the water unfit for human consumption. Sal and Bicholim rivers are the most polluted at various locations, while Mhadei and Khandepar rivers are the least contaminated. The situation is aggravated during monsoons when untreated waste plastics and organic matter enter the rivers.
Rapid economic development, industrial growth, and mobility demand lead to emissions of air pollutants. In a study published in 2016 in Aerosol and Air Quality Research, the authors prepared a detailed emission inventory of different contributing sources in Goa. The study showed that industrial sources are the major contributors to particulate matter (PM10) emissions, followed by the transport sector. Prevailing PM10 concentrations are estimated to cause more than 306 mortalities each year, which is 2.6% of all mortalities caused and 26% of mortalities caused due to respiratory illnesses. The Goa state pollution control board report for 2020-21 has revealed that PM10 is above permissible limits in Panjim, Bicholim, Honda, Usgao, Codli, Tilamol, Cuncolim, and Kundaim. On the other hand, PM2.5, which is attributed to vehicular traffic, was found to be within limits.
19.2% of Goa's 105-kilometre-long coastline has experienced facing the threat of erosion, according to the statement of the Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences to the Lok Sabha earlier this month. This includes some of the top beaches in the state like Anjuna, Keri-Tiracol, Morjim in North Goa and Agonda, Betalbatim, and Majorda in South Goa. Added to this natural phenomenon, beach ecosystems, sand dunes and beach vegetation have been tampered with by humans in an attempt to move closer to the coastal zone to set up tourism-related facilities and permanent settlements. Tarball menace is also threatening coastal ecosystems at the same time driving away high budget tourists.
WED is a call to add greenery to our surroundings and reduce our carbon footprint by planting trees. Each of us has a role in upkeeping the environment and maintaining a nature-friendly discipline. We live on 'Only One Earth'; there is no alternate planet to go to. It is now that we save our planet before it is too late.
