Climate security of Kolkata and the Sundarbans is linked and needs integrated combat strategy: Experts

The climate security of Kolkata and the Sundarbans is intrinsically linked as the metropolis’ air and water pollution is significantly affecting the delta’s mangroves. Their degradation, in turn, has exacerbated the city’s risk to extreme weather events, claimed experts in a meeting recently held in Kolkata. They announced a 5-point ‘Kolkata Declaration 2025’, addressing the agenda.

They added that the climate agendas of the two regions are often addressed separately, with the issue being seldom tackled in unison.

The citizen assembly was organised by a group of environmentalists from Kolkata and Melbourne linked to Tramjatra, a three-decade-old ‘Save tram’ movement in the city. It was attended by more than a hundred people including environmental experts, scientists as well as eminent personalities from different walks of life.

Going global

The declaration highlights the need to adopt an integrated regional climate security strategy, promote environment-friendly transport modes like trams in city to reduce locally generated carbon emissions, enhance more participation of civil society and institutions in the discourse including elected political representatives and seek climate justice - including legal - for highly climate-impacted people in the region.  

“We will soon prepare a white paper based on the declaration and address decision-makers in state and country, as well as the global community,” Michael Douglas from RMIT university Melbourne, Australian activist Roberto D'Andrea and social activist and filmmaker Mahadeb Shee pointed out on behalf of the organisers.  

“We have been working on climatic impacts in the Sundarbans, including forced migration and linked loss of damages. We will definitely plan with our partners how we can highlight the agenda of climatic security and justice in the region at global platforms,” said Sanjay Vashist, director of Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA).

Jawhar Sircar, former bureaucrat and member of Parliament, accepted that most governments do not attach much importance to environment, irrespective of their political affiliations.

Cardiac surgeon and orator Kunal Sarkar pointed out that the fight for climate change has become tougher everywhere after Donald Trump, a self-declared climate sceptic, became the US president. Both expressed solidarity with the initiative.

In focus

“Increase of one per cent emissions in Kolkata impacts 15 per cent photosynthesis in the Sundarbans mangroves and affects the delta’s carbon sink capacity. The climate security of the two are strongly linked and there should be an integrated policy to counter the trend,” pointed out Abhijeet Chatterjee, a scientist from Bose Institute. Studies show that the Sundarbans mangroves store nearly 270 million tonnes of carbon.

Even the city’s water pollution has been affecting Sundarbans biodiversity.

“Our research shows that pollutants including toxic metals and microplastics in city effluent, significantly affects Sundarbans’ water quality and biodiversity including fisheries; piggybacking the impact already triggered by enhanced salinity due to climatic changes,” pointed out Punyaslok Bhadury, a biologist with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata during the panel discussion. Bhadury’s research interestingly points out that though the mangroves get affected by cyclones and other extreme weather events. They tend to recover within one to two weeks.

Tuhin Ghosh, an oceanographer and professor from Jadavpur University, highlighted how out-migration has increased in the Sundarbans due to heightening climatic impacts. He also stressed the need to allow the mangroves to grow naturally, instead of human-induced mangrove plantation either by government agencies or private entities funded through carbon credit projects.

Krishna Ray, a botanist and academic, agreed that human-induced plantations often fail to replicate the ecosystem services offered by natural mangrove vegetation. Subhas Acharya, a member of the Sundarbans Development Board, pointed out that natural mangroves have often been destroyed in the Sundarbans by unscrupulous means.

The forested parts of the Sundarbans, nearly 4,000 sq km in area, have also not been spared over the years from climatic impacts like cyclones and increased salinity, pointed out Pradeep Vyas, a retired forester with decades of experience working in the delta’s forests.

The issue of climate justice also got highlighted as Ritwick Dutta, an environment lawyer from Delhi, pointed out that the people in the region suffer from climate change triggered by immediate and long-term impacts, without any fault of theirs. “As of now, seeking climate justice legally is difficult but we expect that the process may become easier in future. We will push for it,” said Dutta.

Trams for Kolkata

Experts also linked the transport infrastructure of Kolkata as well as the need to keep eco-friendly modes like trams, with the agenda of climate security. “With the city having minimum road space and the surge in private vehicles, it will be impossible to move in Kolkata within a few years unless we actively promote climate friendly public transports like trams and waterways,” said transport expert and IIT Kharagpur professor Bhargab Maitra.

Anumita Roychoudhury, executive director of think tank Centre for Science and Environment, pointed out that Kolkata meeting clean air and low carbon targets without a tram system and despite reduced usage of public transport was a myth. “The Comprehensive Air Quality Action Plan for Kolkata, implemented under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), mandates that tramways need modernisation, further strengthening, and network development to build on the unique advantage. The city climate action plan also requires a similar pathway,” she observed.

“We need to ensure that trams do not remain just as heritage, but act as a functional transport mode as happens in hundreds of global cities,” observed Pradip Kakkar of non-profit PUBLIC, the organisation that has moved court on sustaining trams in the city.

Alok Jain, a transport expert from Hong Kong, said the tram system must be made effective and user-friendly for becoming popular in the city. Proper planning and execution can turn around the fate of Kolkata tram, he added.

The state government has recently announced its intention to close city trams apart from keeping a route alive as heritage. It is a move that is being countered by environmental groups.

Urban planners and researchers also spoke in favour of trams. Tathagata Chatterjee, an urban planner from XIM university Bhubaneswar, urged an integrated, data-driven and futuristic planning strategy to address economic, environmental, and social challenges and develop a climate-attested development roadmap for the region. He also stressed the need for the administration to work in tandem with civil society.

“Without expansion of routes and modernisation of vehicles, the Calcutta Tramways Company introduced buses instead of promoting trams, making them uneconomic. That was completely suicidal,” observed urban economist Mahalaya Chatterjee from Calcutta university.    

Cultural stalwarts of the city like national award-winning film directors Gautam Ghosh and Asok Viswanathan echoed these views. “The environment of the region needs to be protected at all costs and trams should be retained appropriately,” said Ghosh.

Ghosh, whose next film is on people becoming ecological refugees due to the Sardar Sarovar dam, expressed his intention to make a film on climate-induced migration from the Sundarbans.