Panaji: Goa stands under pressure today between a rapidly-warming Arabian Sea and a Western Ghats landscape facing growing developmental strains. Climate change is intensifying heat, extreme rainfall, flooding, and coastal risks, while unplanned development is weakening the natural systems that provide protection to communities in Goa, said climate scientist Roxy Mathew Koll on Sunday in Ponda. Koll is the recipient of the National Science Award from the President of India in 2024.Koll, who is on the management committee, global heat health information network, UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and WHO, said that every individual can contribute to climate action by taking responsibility for a small stretch of the environment within one’s influence.“This could be a beach, stream, or neighbourhood, or one’s professional sphere as a teacher, doctor, engineer, govt official, entrepreneur or artist. While scientists can explain the risks and point towards solutions, effective implementation ultimately requires political will and responsible decision-making. Climate resilience cannot be built while simultaneously destroying forests, wetlands, khazans, waterways, and coastal ecosystems,” said Koll, speaking on ‘Climate Change: Understanding the Challenge and What It Means for Goa‘, at the Fr Bolmax Pereira memorial lecture at St Anne’s Church, Ponda.The lecture was attended by parishioners, students, teachers, environmentalists, research scholars, and academicians from Goa University. It was held as part of the 8th centenary celebration of the transitus of St. Francis of Assisi (1226–2026).Parish priest Fr Francis Rozario, convener of the Diocesan commission for ecology Fr Anthony Carvalho, and botany expert Miguel Braganza recalled Fr Bolmax’s contribution to ecological awareness in Goa.Padma Shri recipient Norma Alvares said that Goa is not merely a tourist destination but a home comprising its villages, rivers, hills, forests, orchards, fields, biodiversity, and cultural heritage. She called upon citizens to see themselves as stewards rather than owners of creation, with a responsibility to hand over Goa to future generations in as good, or better, condition.The programme also featured a conversation where speakers said that citizens, communities, and institutions should undertake practical measures to protect Goa’s natural resources.Under the ‘one person, one action, one year‘ legacy, attendees were invited to identify one concrete ecological action they would undertake or promote over the coming year.
