We are acting as if December flood never happened, will never happen: Amitav Ghosh

When Amitav Ghosh tried looking for writing about the December floods that wreaked havoc in the city, there was very little apart from newspaper reports. He could hardly find any poems or short stories on the catastrophe. The writer uses this instance to reinforce the fact that literary imagination across the world has not been able to capture the issue of climate change as it should.In the city for the book launch of his book ‘The Great Derangement’, he spoke to TOI about how the beachfront properties dotting the coastline in Chennai are a massive realty mistake and it's high time that we take into account that climate change is real and at our doorstep.
Were you always aware about climate change?
No. And it’s not just me, but the world’s awareness about climate change has come about in the last 20 years or so. When I was writing ‘The Hungry Tide’ set in the Sunderbans in Bengal, I began to see the magnitude of the changes, and it became more urgent for me.
In the book you have pointed out that Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata are on the brink of a disaster as colonial rulers built them so close to the water. Why do you think no measures were taken to lessen the risk to these cities?
People were simply not aware. In the late 19th century, nature was seen as something inert. The idea that nature undergoes perturbations which happen within a short period was not taken on board. Till the 1970s people thought nature evolved slowly and that it would carry on as in the past.
Do you see the floods in Chennai as a natural disaster or was it man-made to an extent?
That’s the problem. We can’t disaggregate what is man-made and what is natural, as now there are catastrophic convergences. It is clear in the way the buildings have exploded in all these cities, and waterways and drainage channels have been clogged up, it’s inherently dangerous. Even with very small variations there can be a terrible impact which is magnified by human intervention. When you have this combined with extreme events, you have a recipe for disaster. We have to be aware that there will be more such events in the future. We are acting as if it never happened and will never happen.
How do you perceive the flouting of the coastal regulations to construct beach front properties in Chennai?
It is madness. It is incomprehensible, especially when one of the most predictable impacts of climate change is the rise in sea level. But such construction is happening quite fast now. We know that buildings planned closer to the sea will face all kinds of catastrophes but why are people going ahead with this? But it’s a worldwide phenomenon — in Indonesia, the USA. It is especially incomprehensible when it comes to nation states that have prided themselves in protecting their population and considered keeping its people safe from physical harm as one of its missions. More regulations have been circumvented. It goes on to show the incredible power that construction lobbyists have now that they can do anything.
You have pointed out that how upheavals in Syria and Turkey may somewhere be connected to climate change. Can war be connected to climate change?
I wouldn’t say that the Syrian crisis is caused by climate change but it’s a part of the deep background. Climate change creates a lot of stress. The actual manifestation of these stresses is unpredictable. There was this terrible drought in Syria and there is a connection that exists with the crisis that occurred in the country, but what that is, we can’t say. What you might say is, these climate events are multipliers which bring stresses to the surface. War does make you very attentive about weather. The Ibis trilogy ends with a cyclone and it did actually happen. It played a part in a battle during the opium war in China. Not too many people know about it, but it’s the moment when the storm impacted the rise of the Chinese against the West. It was interesting for me to see how the weather interacted with military strategy
What is the role of the individual in climate change?
The most important thing an individual can do is put pressure on their respective governments. It would be nice if they can reduce their carbon footprint and this should be brought about by a collective decision by public institutions. There should be limits to which the number of cars a person can own, or construct beachfront properties. But then we should think that by personally reducing one’s carbon footprint the direction of the world can be changed.
You have said that literature has largely stayed away from dealing with climate change like it should. Do you feel Bengali literature has addressed the man against nature issue better?
I think older writers of regional literature across the country tried to talk about climate events. But that is all in the past. In Bengali literature there are many such references. The ecology of Bengal is overwhelming, the giant rivers constantly changing course. At its most spectacular is the delta which is part of the Sunderbans. Bengal has felt the immediacy of its surroundings. Works of Ritwik Ghatak and Satyajit Ray refer to it. Ray’s ‘Jalsaghar’ and ‘Pather Panchali’, are stories that turn around the storm. The whole tradition of river novel and river film is gone. Mahasweta Devi, was one such writer who engaged with the terrain, wrote about tribals and was such a remarkable activist. The new generation has moved away. It is interested in identity issues. There is a gap.
The most important thing an individual can do is put pressure on their respective governments. It would be good if they can reduce their carbon footprint too.