CAQM calls for efforts to Reduce Air Pollution and Environmental Degradation

The Coalition of Air Quality Management (CAQM), a group of Civil Society Organizations, the Academia, Private Sector Players, the Media and other interest groups with the objectives of mobilizing grassroots efforts into active Air Quality and Environmental Protection in communities within Ghana has called for concerted efforts by all stakeholders in ensuring that the menace of air pollution and environmental degradation is reduced to the barest minimum in the country.

The Coalition made this call in a Communiqué issued in Accra and copied to the media.

Per the communiqué, the Coalition says it was working with the World Bank Group and the Environmental Protection Agency to advance the course of civil society in air quality and environmental management and to develop a blue print for the supervision, advocacy, awareness and stakeholder engagement in ensuring that Ghana improves its efforts in Air Pollution and other environmental nuisances.

Full communiqué is below:

Communiqué 

The coalition of Air quality and  Environmental Management is  a  group  of  CSO  actors  in environmental  and Air quality interest organizations involving academia and  Private  sector  as  well  as  the  Media. the  group believes in mobilizing grass root  effort into  active  Air  quality  and  Environmental  management  actors in the communities of Ghana realizing the role played  by  existing  Environmental and  Air quality  actors in Academia, Civil Society , the media and Private Sector.

Recent data by the World Bank Ghana Country Environmental Analysis (2020) shows, Air pollution tops as Ghana’s environmental dangers which is accounting for around 8% of total yearly mortality (GNA). Since air pollution’s diseases are disproportionately borne by infants and the elderly .Illnesses associated with air pollution-related deaths include; lung cancer, ischemic heart diseases, stroke, acute lower respiratory infection and chronic pulmonary diseases like bronchitis and emphysema. The report also revealed that the economic cost of air pollution is estimated at US $ 2.5 Billion or roughly 4.2% of the country’s 2017 Gross Domestic Product (GDP).More so, the impacts of climate and deteriorating air quality threaten to erode development and gains and worsen the health of Ghanaians. As it evident that financial cost of treatment of air pollution-related diseases are very high.

Global evidence also shows that Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. Household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities and forest fires are common sources of air pollution. Pollutants of major public health concern include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Outdoor and indoor air pollution cause respiratory and other diseases and is an important source of morbidity and mortality. Air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. WHO data shows that almost all of the global population  (99%)  breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline  limits containing high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures. WHO is supporting countries to address air pollution from smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a major threat to health and climate. The combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution cause millions of premature deaths every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.

As a mobilized group we have resolved to work with  the World Bank Group and  the Environmental  Protection Agency to advance the  course  of  Civil  society in  Air Quality  and  Environmental  Management as a result we hereby declare our expectations from today until the next 3 years in  advocating  for  the following

• Establish the vibrant and Growing Air  Pollution  and  Environmental  Management  coalition  dedicated to working with Academia , Media Private and Government
• Develop a working activity Manual which spelt out key activities in  supervision,  Advocacy  Awareness and Stakeholder engagement in seeing Ghana improve its efforts  in  Air  Pollution  and other environmental Nuisance like plastic waste
• Organize regional consultation and engagement with regional players  in  Air  quality  and  Air Pollution
• Periodically meet with the media and private sector players to engage government in setting up appropriate laws  and  Policy  to  manage  air  pollution  and  ensure  the  needed  logistics  are  available to measure air quality
• Promote public education in communities and also offers solutions for managing environmental nuisance in Ghana
• Organize high level  meetings  with  industry  players  and  EPA  to  institute  appropriate environmental safeguards for the safety of the communities and Ghanaians in General
• Establish a scheme to awarding cleaner and less polluted healthy environment communities as motivation for heavily polluted communities to adopt and change behavior
• Develop social media messages and behavior change communications to advance electronic campaigning on air Quality and Environmental Management
• Develop Brief for publication into the  print  and  electronic Media  as  well  as  setting  up Air Pollution and Air quality environmental management media agenda for discussion
• Engage with Air Quality and Environmental Management Platform members to periodically peer review its activities and discus future plans

.We hereby commit  to  this  aspirations  as  part  of  our  common  understanding  as  a  coalition  to  see  Ghana reduce it  air  pollution  menace  and  advance  the  promotion  of  quality  air  and  reduce  environmental nuisance

Signed

Thematic Working group Members on behalf of the entire Coalition.

Lead person

Isaac Ampomah
Advocacy and Sensitization
Air Quality and Environmental Management coalition .