How Communities Are Driving Climate Justice Solutions: Insights From Ghana
Africa continues to deal with the problem of climate change due to urban population increase and ineffective urban planning systems (Cobbinah et al., 2017). Climate change has now been elevated to the status of a development concern, ha…
Africa continues to deal with the problem of climate change due to urban population increase and ineffective urban planning systems (Cobbinah et al., 2017).
Climate change has now been elevated to the status of a development concern, having a negative impact on many developing nations, including Ghana (Adshead et al., 2022). Impacting the poor and the most vulnerable members of society, the effects of existing and future climate change consequences have the potential to jeopardize years of progress toward growth and development goals (Adshead et al., 2022; World Bank, 2021). Although Ghana has one of Africa's fastest-growing economies and has achieved tremendous progress in reducing poverty, the country's future growth and development are threatened by climatic variability and change (USAID, 2017).
The country is confronted with major challenges from a changing climate to its ecology, economy, and society including increasing aridity, droughts, extreme rainfall events, and flooding (EPA, 2015). Increased aridity and rising temperatures may also stress animals and lower crop yields (USAID 2017). To alleviate the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable communities, particularly in the Global South, we must address the issue of climate justice.
Climate justice entails fusing development, environmental protection, and human rights (UNICEF, 2022). This means making sure that the rights of people who are most susceptible to the effects of climate change are represented, included, and protected. In order to ensure that young people can live, learn, play, and work in healthy and clean settings, solutions must promote equity, guarantee access to basic resources, and ensure these things (UNICEF, 2022).
GHANA’S CLIMATE JUSTICE
1. Partnership with global bodies
Ghana has made a conscious effort to partner with global bodies in fighting climate-related risks through the adoption of policies and frameworks to guide development. The Global Center for Adaptation (GCA), the University of Oxford Environmental Change Institute (ECI), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in collaboration with the Government of Ghana (MESTI), identified and recommended solutions to address Ghana's major adaptation needs (Adshead et al., 2022).
They offered an evaluation of the potential impact of climate hazards on national infrastructure systems and created a strategy for mitigating those risks through targeted adaptation choices in the built and natural environments, including nature-based solutions (Adshead et al., 2022). Policies include the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (11,13,14 and 15), the Paris Agreement on climate change, and gender and inclusivity objectives (Adshead et al., 2022; Sendai, 2015). All these initiatives are towards Ghana’s national strategic development plans and policies, including the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and other National Determined Conditions (NDC’s)(Amoah, 2020; UNICEF, 2022).
2. Sustainable agricultural practice
More than half of Ghana’s population is employed in agriculture, both formally and informally, contributing to about 20% of the country's GDP and almost half of its export revenue. The bulk of the poorest households in Ghana relies mostly on agriculture for their livelihood. Ghana produces a wide range of crops in climatic regions that run in east-west bands across the nation and range from dry savannah to moist forest. Crops, livestock, fisheries, and forestry constitute Ghana's agricultural industry (World Bank, 2021).
As an alternative to contemporary farming techniques, traditional small-scale farming methods that place an emphasis on crop diversification, soil health, and agroforestry activities are gaining popularity. In addition to enhancing food security and fostering community resilience in the face of climate change, sustainable agriculture also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Agro ecology, a form of agriculture that encourages ecological balance and social justice, is becoming more popular among smallholder farmers in Ghana (ACB, 2021).
3. Sustainable forest management
Ghana is increasing afforestation through a policy for national tree planting (Policy, 2022). Critical ecosystem services provided by forests, such as carbon sequestration and water cycle management, are crucial for maintaining the stability of the climate. It is now widely acknowledged that traditional land tenure systems, which place a high priority on community ownership and management of forest resources, are an important tool for protecting forests and advancing climate justice. The involvement of local communities in forest management, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization, has helped Ghana make considerable strides in promoting sustainable forest management and reducing deforestation (FAO, 2020).
CONCLUSION
Human populations have been influenced by climate-related disasters in a variety of ways, including agricultural production, food security, water management, and public health (World Bank, 2021). Countries must combat gender-based disparities because the severity of the effects and coping mechanisms of populations strongly depend on their socio-economic status, socio-cultural norms, access to resources, poverty, and gender. To systematically evaluate the need for climate adaptation and finance options, nations must develop an institutional capability that is in line with and supplements current government policies, plans, and activities.
REFERENCES
- Adshead, D., Thacker, S., Fuldauer, L., Gall, S., Chow, N., Pant, R., Russell, T., Bajpai, A., Morgan, G., Bhikhoo, N., Boroto, D., Palmer, R., Cançado, D., Jain, N., Klöttschen, V., Lawal, H., Dery, P., Twum, E., Mohammed, G., … Agbesi, L. (2022). Ghana: Roadmap for resilient infrastructure in a changing climate. 90–102.
- Amoah, A. (2020). Ghana ’ S Nationally Determined Contribution : Implementation Status.
- Climate Change Adaptation Thought Leadership and Assessments. (2017). Climate Change Risk Profile: India. January. https://www.climatelinks.org/sites/default/files/asset/document/2017_USAID ATLAS_Climate Risk Profile - India.pdf
- Cobbinah, P. B., Poku-Boansi, M., & Peprah, C. (2017). Urban environmental problems in Ghana. Environmental Development, 23(May), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2017.05.001
- EPA. (2015). Ghana’s Third National Communication Report to the UNFCCC. 2015 Climate Change Report. Ministry of Environment Science, Technology and Innovation, 240. https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/ghanc3.pdf
- Policy, G. T. P. (2022). TREE PLANTING.pdf. mlnr.gov.gh. https://greenghana.mlnr.gov.gh/
- Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 - 2030 1. (2015).
- UNICEF. (2022). Climate Justice Roundtable : February.
- World Bank. (2021). Climate risk country profile - Ghana. 32. www.worldbank.org