Speaker of Parliament, the Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin has cautioned Ghanaians to be concerned about issues of climate change since the national economy depends largely on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, energy, and forestry. He said Ghana’s economy will suffer from the impact of climate change if well all continue to stay aloof and watch.
To him, one of the biggest risks to the growth of Africa is climate change; hence there must be a localization of climate action in the decentralized system of government for the people to ensure good governance and balanced rural-based development.
The Speaker also called on Ghanaians to double efforts at the local level to create awareness on the effects of climate change.
According to him, there is enough evidence in Ghana to prove that temperatures in the ecological zones are rising, whereas rainfall levels and patterns have been generally reducing and increasingly becoming erratic.
Speaker Bagbin made the call on Monday August 2, 2021 in a speech read on his behalf at a ceremony to launch Climate Communication and Local Governance Africa (CCLG-Africa) – a non-governmental organization with special focus on issues of climate change at the local governance level.
The launch was on the theme “Climate Adaptation and Mitigation: a Collective Responsibility at the Local Level.”
“More ought to be done at the local level by way of a determined and conscious effort to sustain the environment, protect and restore ecosystems, address land-based pollution as well as education and awareness creation on the lifestyle issues that have brought us to where we are today,” the Speaker noted.
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He commended the leadership of CCLG-Africa for the initiative, while urging its leadership to keep the focus on their chosen area of interest.
The NGO is a group of media professionals, environmental experts and local government practitioners dedicated to the pursuit of measures aimed at mitigating climate change and the preservation of the environment.
He urged the leaders to ensure the use of enhanced communication and efficient planning and implementation tools, and action plans for climate adaptability.
“I commend the Climate Communications and Local Governance Africa (CCLG-Africa) for such a laudable idea of championing and promoting climate change activities at the local level. Today, the world is battling not only the coronavirus pandemic but the effects of climate change which is threatening to scar the environment and developing countries like Ghana,” the Speaker commended.
Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Dr. Nana Kweku Afyiyie, who was represented by the Chief Director of the Ministry, said the increasing awareness, enhanced communication, and the participation of the legislature and religious organizations in efforts aimed at stepping up climate actions especially at the local level is very critical to achieving the global climate targets.
He noted that Ghana’s experience of the impacts of climate change is not different from the rest of Africa and many developing countries as they all have large portions of their vegetative cover depleted and almost turned into desserts. He pledged his commitment to all activities that would be embarked on by the organization in this direction.
President of CCLG-Africa, Kofi Don Agor appealed to the government to assist in building the capacity of members of the organization through training programs to enable them to effectively disseminate information on government policies at the local levels.
Present at the function were representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Accra Metropolitan Assembnly (AMA) led by the Accra Mayor, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional reorganization led by the deputy minister OB Amoah, Parliament’s Committee on Environment, among others.
By Jeorge Wilson Kingson || ghananewsonline.com.gh