Change attitude towards environment - Dr Nunoo

Accra, Oct. 29, GNA - Dr Francis K.E. Nunoo, Head of Department of Oceanography and Fisheries at the University of Ghana, has called on Ghanaians to change their negative attitude towards the environment as the country joins the global fight against climate change. He said the public should be educated to appreciate the importance of trees, ocean and clean environment in order to reverse the negative behaviour towards the environment which could affect the future of humankind.

Dr Nunoo was speaking at the University of Ghana Junior High School Legon, during an environmental awareness programme organized for the pupils of the educational institution in Accra.

He said students as agents of change should be educated on the environment so that they could help prevent environmental degradation. Dr Nunoo called on the authorities to take bold steps to stop bad environmental practices such as indiscriminate felling of trees, lettering and the use of inappropriate equipment in fishing which he said had serious effects on the environment.

He said the Department of Oceanography and Fisheries was capable of training students in the physical, biological, chemical and geological fields as well as in fisheries so that the country would have more experts to handle challenges confronting the society. Miss Jo Hunter, a Music and Drama teacher from the Epinay Business and Enterprise School, United Kingdom, explained that the environmental sensitization programme was part of a joint outreach project between the Business and Enterprise school and the University of Ghana Junior High School and Newcastle University in the UK.

She said the project focused on science, drama, music and other methods and the subjects have been packaged in such a way that students shared ideas across the world towards the fight against global warming and environmental degradation.

Miss Hunter and Susan Gebbels, Lecturers at the Newcastle University, who were in the country for the programme, donated variety of books worth GH460 to the School to enhance academic work. Mrs Fortune Aku Kwashi, Assistant Head Mistress of the University of Ghana Basic Schools, commended Epinay Enterprise for the gesture and said that health science was being taught at the school to educate students on health issues.