Editor’s Note

In the face of increasing evidence of climate change and pushed by massive public pressure, the world’s leaders finally came together in Paris in Dec 2015 and signed the first universal, legally binding global agreement on climate change. Unfortunately we’re already seeing countries ignoring the spirit of the Paris deal making it even more crucial for the public to remain engaged and for them to keep the pressure on their leaders. In his latest book ‘The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable’, Amitav Ghosh attempts to unpack the failure of literature and politics to grasp the enormity of climate change. Kartik Shanker talks to Ghosh about why literature and film have failed to accommodate climate change as part of our lives. In her book review, Rohini Nilekani highlights the ‘many rich threads’ that
Ghosh weaves into his narrative.

In this marine issue, we explore what climate change means for the marine ecosystem and the vast array of life that inhabits it. Rohan Arthur and his co-authors discuss the implications of increasing temperatures for coral reefs in the Andaman and Nicobar as well as the Lakshadweep islands. Matthew Creasey and Gabriel Yvon-Durocher explain how tiny diatoms can help us predict the impacts of warming on our oceans. These larger threats only make it more critical for us to sustainably manage our ocean resources and limit the stress on these systems. Kate Barclay highlights the importance of community engagement when developing fisheries management practices. And in our photostory, Randall Arauz presents stark visual images of shark finning and decries its collateral damage on marine life.