Extreme temperature increases are complicating interactions for water supply
Climate-related migrants might rise between 200 million and more than one billion by the middle of the century if world leaders fail to take drastic actions to stabilise the global climate system.
Consequently, Africa would bear the brunt, as major crops on the continent, such as maize, millet and sorghum are highly sensitive to changes in temperature.
This will result in crop losses and hunger, thereby exacerbating childhood malnutrition and stunting growth.
Ghana's situation
Clearly in Ghana, extreme temperature increases are creating complicated interactions for water supply, food security, ecosystems, public health and the economy.
Erratic rains and unpredictable weather patterns married with drying up of major water and river sources require concerted and broader action from civil society actors and climate campaigners to save the nation.
Climate change in Ghana is projected to affect its vital water resources, energy supplies, crop production and food security.
Major causes
Human activity includes; pollution arising from industrial activities, farming, environmental degradation and others such as volcanic eruptions to mention a few.
But, annual bush and wildfires pose a serious threat to Ghana’s climate condition.
In addition, certain human activities have been identified as primary causes of the on-going climate change, often referred to as global warming, a condition that negatively affects climatic conditions.
Societal effects of climate change are already felt, as evidenced in the health, livelihoods, food productivity and water availability.
A sharp change in the rainfall pattern, drying up of rivers and receding of water bodies are some of the effects of climate change in cocoa growing communities in the country.
The country’s vulnerability is largely due to dependence on the production of crops that are sensitive to climate change, including; cassava and cocoa, and by a lack of agricultural diversification.
Ghana's susceptibility
Currently, the nation is experiencing the drastic effect of climate change with its Greenhouse gas emissions more than 50 percent higher than in the 1990s.
According to Professor Berchie Asiedu, the Director of the Centre for Climate Change and Gender Studies of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Ghana’s susceptibility to climate change was assuming disturbing proportions.
Though the nation’s greenhouse emission of 0.07 percent remained insignificant, the impact of climate change was being felt in parts of the country.
Ghana’s greenhouse per capita emission ranked 151 out of 186 countries, according to the 2016 ND-GAIN index of the Netherlands, but the country's climate change vulnerability remained disturbing.
Prof Asiedu said it was the responsibility of every Ghanaian to contribute to climate change mitigation measures to save the nation.
Effects
Currently, there is desertification in the Northern Region, prolonged dry season in the Volta Basin and perennial water challenges in parts of the country.
Some parts of the country were currently experiencing recurring flooding, prolonged drought and dry season as well as unpredicted rainfall and weather patterns and acute water challenges.
Certainly, this has huge devastating effects on the nation in the long term.
Green Ghana Project
The government through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources launched the Green Ghana Programme as part of activities to mark this year’s International Day of Forest.
Under the initiative, which took place on June 11, 2021, approximately 10 million trees were planted nationwide, exceeding the expected target of five million trees.
From indications, the rationale for the tree planting exercise was a strategy to push aggressive afforestation, and to restore the nation’s forest cover and a greener environment.
Who nurtures the trees remains a big question.
But, the nurturing of the trees requires more broad-based support because the laudable initiative remains a climate action mitigation measure as it would greatly address the adverse degradation of Ghana’s forests and ecosystem.
Way forward
This reporter believes the government ought to consider and replicate the programme at least bi-annually, while engaging the teeming unemployed youth to nurture the trees.
Local communities, including professional, religious and cooperative associations, should prioritise afforestation and reforestation as climate change mitigation actions at the local level and that should be all-inclusive.
According to Dr Michael Addaney, a lecturer at the School of Geoscience, UENR climate change remained a global challenge that required coordinated global and national action.
“A just and fairer playing field for developing countries and highly vulnerable groups such as women and girls in poor regions, including Africa, is a key to create durable solutions and climate benefits,” he said.
Undoubtedly, climate change threatens the attainment of sustainable development as it resulted in more erratic flooding and drought, shifting of rainfall patterns and their decreasing predictability, increased natural disasters, biodiversity destruction and spread of diseases, resulting from warming temperatures on land and sea.
Given the size of the climate challenge, its impacts exacerbate existing inequalities, poverty, conflicts and migrations with a disproportionate effect on low-income countries, local communities, indigenous peoples, marginalised and vulnerable groups, particularly those on the African continent.
Dr Addaney emphasised the need for significant budgetary commitment and other required resources into research initiatives and climate-smart and sustainable innovations and businesses.
There is also an urgent need for the government and her partners to provide farmers, especially in rural areas with financial support, capacity building and training in organic, regenerative and climate-resilient techniques.
This time, the government must push local and multinational industries and academic institutions to adopt green energy technologies, ranging from wind and solar to hydroelectric, tidal and geothermal and biomass to mitigate the threatening effects of climate change.
As a nation, we must invest in and promote sustainable packaging technology, which minimises the use of plastic and other polluting materials as much as possible.
It is also imperative to standardize packaging so that it can be reused and recycled efficiently based on, but not limited to, carbon intensity, water consumption, and packaging and food origin for large supply chain actors.