Climate change choking Gulf of Mannar

RAMANATHAPURAM, TAMIL NADU: At the southeastern tip of the Indian subcontinent, beneath the sparkling waters of the green-blue Indian Ocean, lies an aquatic world teeming with marine life — the Gulf of Mannar.

But climate change, pollution and over-harvesting and poaching of marine species are destroying this treasure trove, which experts say are also threatening other areas along the Indian coastline.

Leaders and climate negotiators from 196 countries will meet at the UN talks in Paris starting November 30 to try and thrash out the broadest deal to date to slow global warming, one of the reasons cited by experts for loss of marine life in India.

According to experts, the repercussions of such destruction of natural barriers and flora and fauna coupled with climate change are bound to have long-term ecological, human and political ramifications on the country.

Writer-activist Nityanand Jayaraman, who has worked on coastal issues for the last 20 years, said that largescale urbanisation was drastically altering the coastline.

“In the last 25 years in Tamil Nadu, we have seen massive urbanisation along the coast. All this drastically alters the nature of the coast,” he added.

CLIMATE IN PERIL, P14