A Guardian and a Thief

Climate change, broadly, is ongoing changes in Earth’s climate, but the contemporary use of the term refers to changes in global climate caused by human activity, specifically the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and pollution. Melting polar ice, expanding deserts, increasingly intense weather events, droughts, and rainfall are all associated with the climate crisis that is developing around the world. The Global South, including Kolkata, is anticipated to see the worst of these changes in the near future, which provides, in part, the basis of A Guardian and a Thief. The specific pattern noted in Kolkata is a cycle between devastating monsoons, for which the city is underprepared due to outdated infrastructure, and heatwaves. Between these two worsening extremes, the near future Majumdar envisions is not unrealistic.

The novel explores the human element in these worsening conditions, noting how heatwaves and droughts would kill crops and people alike, creating a system in which there is not enough food for everyone to eat. Flooding would cause mass migration, which is already a reality in the region today. With more people coming into the city and not enough food to feed them all, Majumdar envisions a Kolkata in which climate, while devastating, is a secondary concern in daily life. Instead, the primary focus of the characters is almost always on getting food, getting out of the country, or creating a sufficient shelter. Increased tension leads to greater crime, with the police in the novel noting that violent crimes are on the rise. Majumdar goes a step further, speculating on climate visas, which would allow people in areas disproportionately affected by climate change to travel to less-affected areas, such as migrating from Kolkata to Michigan.