Accra: The African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN) has called for government institutions to reinforce policies and investments that promote environmental protection, climate resilience, and public health. The Network emphasizes the need for local authorities to prioritize waste management, drainage maintenance, and environmental sanitation within communities.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Charity Binka, Executive Secretary of AMMREN, in a press statement to mark the 2026 World Environment Day, urged traditional and religious leaders to champion environmental conservation and sustainable practices. She also called on the media to increase reportage on climate change, environmental health, and community-driven solutions. Civil Society Organizations are encouraged to intensify public education and advocacy for environmental justice, while citizens are urged to adopt environmentally responsible behaviors such as tree planting, proper waste disposal, water conservation, and protection of natural ecosystems.
Dr. Binka emphasized the need for everyone to recommit to safeguarding the environment, strengthening climate resilience, and promoting healthier communities across Ghana and Africa. She stated, "When we protect nature, we protect health, when we act on climate, we secure our future." The theme for the event, 'Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future,' serves as a reminder that nature remains a crucial ally in the fight against climate change.
Dr. Binka highlighted that AMMREN is dedicated to advancing public health through evidence-based advocacy, strategic communication, and media engagement. The organization recognizes the inseparable link between environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and human health. She noted that climate change is increasingly becoming a public health emergency, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, particularly women, children, and low-income communities.
Across Ghana and many parts of Africa, rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, floods, droughts, and environmental degradation are contributing to increased disease burdens, food insecurity, displacement, and loss of livelihoods. Climate variability also affects the transmission patterns of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, placing millions of people at heightened risk. Dr. Binka added that recent environmental destruction resulting from deforestation, pollution, poor waste management, and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources continues to undermine efforts to build healthy and resilient communities.
She pointed out that the pollution of water bodies through illegal mining activities, indiscriminate disposal of waste, and destruction of wetlands poses threats to both environmental integrity and public health outcomes. Poor sanitation and choked drains create breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other disease vectors, increasing the risk of malaria and other communicable diseases. The fight against climate change and environmental degradation must be recognized as an integral component of disease prevention and health promotion.
AMMREN believes that nature-based solutions offer practical, sustainable, and cost-effective approaches to climate adaptation and mitigation. Protecting forests, restoring degraded landscapes, conserving biodiversity, safeguarding water resources, and promoting climate-smart agricultural practices are essential investments in our collective future, the statement concluded.