As part of our project titled ‘Connecting Communities, Climate and Politics for Tomorrow (3CP)’, the Environment Report has been reviewing the manifestos of the various political parties, especially the main opposition NDC and the ruling NPP.

The review focused on how both parties are going to deal with the issue of climate change and what runs through both manifestos is that, there is no clear path about how they are going to enforce the environmental laws to deal with the canker.

Ghana, a sovereign country, has environmental laws that when implemented will help deal with the issue of climate change but none of the major parties are clear in emphasising how they seek to enforce those laws in their manifestos.

For instance, the L.I 2462 was passed in November 2022 to grant unfettered access to the destruction of our forests including globally significant biodiversity areas. But none of the major parties after reviewing the manifestos are promising to completely scrap it.

Our interactions with farming and coastal communities in the Upper East, Northern, Western, Volta and Ashanti regions under the Connecting Communities Climate and Politics for Tomorrow (3CP) Project, shows that, they are also unaware about the plans of the various political parties to deal with climate change which has taken a toll on their work and livelihoods.

Ghana is currently facing severe climate change impacts, including extreme weather events, droughts, rising sea levels, disruptions to ecosystems and livelihoods, loss of biodiversity, health risks, and high agricultural prices due to erratic water supply.

These challenges are exacerbated by illegal mining and logging in forest reserves, river pollution, poor agricultural practices, and open waste burning. These issues and challenges undermine Ghana’s ability to achieve set targets for SDG 13, 15 and also 6 which are all crucial supporting sectors for our socio-economic development.

The World Bank in 2022, in its Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) for Ghana, estimated that at least one million more people could fall into poverty due to climate shocks if urgent climate actions are not taken. Adding that income could reduce by up to 40% for poor households by 2050.

We recommend that Presidential Candidates of the various political parties engage the populace, especially farmers and fishers on what their government will do in addressing climate change issues should they be given the nod. For Ghanaians to be able to hold the various political parties to their word, the parties must use their political platforms to share with the populace what their intentions and plans are in dealing with climate change.

The time is now for the presidential aspirants to let the citizenry know how they intend to effectively enforce the country’s environmental laws and implement their policies and plans to help mitigate the effects of climate change on the populace. The other worrying aspect is that illegal mining activities are still ongoing despite the promise by the state and the involvement of the military.

This is evidenced in the recent attack on Erastus Asare Donkor and his crew when they went to inspect communities or areas that the military had already invaded to stop the illegality. What is being done to our environment is unfortunate.

The future of children, young ones and the generations unborn is at stake. The Environment Report through the Connecting Communities, Climate and Politics for Tomorrow Project calls on the presidential aspirants and political parties to come out and state clearly their plans to help mitigate the effects of climate change being experienced in the country.

The need to protect and safeguard the national environment for posterity cannot be exchanged for any other thing.

Signed.

Charles Smith
Project Coordinator, Connecting Communities Climate and Politics for Tomorrow (3CP)
The Environment Report
+233245412531
info@ghenvironment.com