Ghanaians urged to protect the environment through energy consumption

The head of electricity section at the University of Cape Coast, Engineer Joseph Wilberforce Ansah has urged Ghanaians to protect the environment through their energy consumption.

According to him, Ghana has experienced rapid growth in population in recent years, leading to increased energy consumption.

This increase, he said, has placed significant strain on the country’s resources and has resulted in environmental damages like ozone layer depletion.

Speaking on ATL FM’s ATLANTIC WAVE, he said as the world moves towards sustainability, it is crucial that Ghanaians take the necessary measures to protect the environment.

He notes that in Ghana, the key to protecting the environment lies in energy conservation

“If you look at the power production at Aboadze, you realize they are using the crude oil and the gas as well. And they produce carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which affects the environment and the ozone layer, which we are talking about, ice is melted, and all sorts of things.

"These are all heat being produced by the industry. So, energy conservation basically is about us making judicious use of the electricity that is produced…to sustain means we must make sure the little we have is well taken care of…to sustain is to conserve” he said.

ING. Wilberforce Ansah explained that the increment in energy consumption in Ghana is a result of the inappropriate ways of Ghanaians usage of power.

To this end, he entreated Ghanaians to put a stop to the attitude of leaving electrical gadgets on standby as it’s normally done in most homes and offices.

He notes that the neglect given to this affects the economy.

“This is where we get the oils, the gasses, and natural gas. These are things that we can never do away with. They are part of us. We need them to generate electricity for effective use, and to run the economy. So, it means electricity must be produced. But how then do we ensure that we also protect the environment? It depends on how much we consume.”

ING. Wilberforce Ansah says as less energy is consumed, lesser machines will be needed to work and the carbon dioxide which is emitted into the environment will also be limited.