Expert panel urges Goa govt to impose green tax to fund climate change fight

Monday, December 7, 2020

The Goa government should consider imposing a green tax on tourism on the lines of taxes being imposed in countries like the Maldives and Spain, to help fund climate change mitigation measures, Goa’s Action Plan for Climate Change has recommended.

“Tourism is a major industrial sector in Goa. Every year, tourists visiting Goa are almost four to five times the population of the state. Eco-tax or Green tax to combat climate change is proposed to assist in mitigation and adaptation activities of the areas which are most frequently visited by tourists. Such taxation models are under implementation in countries like Spain,” the document has noted.

“The system can be developed based on the tourist’s standard of accommodation. As a next step, the institutional structure would need to be established to develop a functional model for taxation and its appropriate utilisation,” the report has said, suggesting that an appropriate mechanism, time frame and other modalities need to be worked out by the tourism department.

The report, quoting United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) projections, has said that Goa stands to lose a large percentage of its land area, including many of its famous beaches and tourist infrastructure, which are very significant to states’ socio-economic status.

“A one-metre rise in sea level, it is estimated, will affect seven percent of Goa’s population and cause damage to the tune of Rs 8,100 crore,” the report said, adding that it was essential to understand the vulnerability of different parts of the 105km long coastline of Goa.

Climate change projections in Goa in the 21st century, based on high resolution regional climate models (RCPs), have indicated that for a projected atmospheric CO2 concentration of up to 940ppm by 2100, Goa’s temperature will rise by 4.5°C compared to the base of 1901-1950; while in the less threatening scenario of atmospheric CO2 concentration of 538 ppm by 2100, Goa will witness a mean temperature rise of about 2.5°C compared to 1901-1950 base.

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