The Member of Parliament (MP) for Oforikrom Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Emmanuel Kwabena Marfo has called on all Ghanaians to as a matter of urgency educate one another on the dangers associated with climate change in the country.
Climate change in Ghana is expected to; render rainfall patterns increasingly unpredictable and erratic, increase means temperature by 1.5 – 5.2°c by 2090 as well as increase sea level by 34.5cm by 2090. This is likely to have serious implications for the agricultural sector, which contributes 54% of Ghana’s GDP.
Moreover, access to freshwater is expected to become more challenging and reduced water supply will have a negative impact on hydropower, which provides 54% of the country’s electricity capacity.
Speaking at an event organized by the lawmaker, ‘MP Walks with Students for Climate’ on Thursday, November 3, he lamented;
“We have all noticed that the climate has changed.
The flow of rivers at the sea level has changed due to this; there have been numerous cases of flooding in the coastal areas, like Keta among others.
Rains are not falling at the right time as expected and farmers are unable to plan as a result of climate change.”
He said, “Climate change is caused by human activity such as mining, extraction of oil, deforestation, and many more.”
However, the campaign and education on climate change have not gone down the streets.
The grassroots who are the main cause have not been educated enough on the dangers of climate change.
“I think if we talk about climate change at the international forum without educating the grassroots, especially the youth and students to understand the dangers associated with it, we will not have a solution to the problem.” He explained.
According to him, there is a need for attitudinal change on the part of Ghanaians to stop human practices such as deforestation, illegal mining, and many more that bring about global warming.
“Our behaviors will determine the solution to climate change.
All people in the country must change their attitude towards nature. We should know how to manage our waste, machines, gadgets, and natural resources. We should not think about our personal well-being to destroy the lands and water bodies via galamsey.”
He added that “Of course, parliamentarians and government officials have a greater responsibility, thus approve appropriate budget allocation to government agencies responsible for climate change to do the appropriate work.”
“We must all come together to educate each other on the effects of climate change because it is likely the harmful chemicals we use could destroy our water sources.”
“Again people who have been mandated by the government to enforce the laws, thus the police, military, forestry commission, and the environmental protection agency should also arrest and prosecute any human activity that could bring about the destruction of the environment and hence climate change.” He added.
MP Walks with Students for Climate
The event, ‘MP Walks with Students for Climate’ occurred on Thursday, 3rd November 2022.
It was organized by Dr. Emmanuel Marfo in collaboration with Forest Plantation Board, Environmental Protection Agency, and Green Steward International.
More than 500 youths specifically students were active participants.
According to the Oforikrom MP, the event aimed at creating awareness of the dangers of climate change and how it could be solved.
“So, I decided to organize this event (Walk for Climate) to campaign and educate grassroots, especially the youth and students on the dangers of climate change, because they are the main cause of the menace.”
The 27th United Nations Climate Change conference commonly referred to as the Conference of the Parties (COP27) would be held next week from 6 to 18 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Source: Ghana Web
