Vice President John Dramani Mahama has called for a national concerted effort to deal with the problems of climate change as Ghana is not exempted from its adverse consequences.
He said the challenges that climate change poses, demands that “we cannot continue with the business as usual approach to development”.
“It is true that the first world countries developed on the back of very heavy industrial pollution and deforestation but climate change is not limited geographically,” Mr Mahama said in a speech read on his behalf at Akosombo at the on-going capacity building seminar for high officers on climate change.
The seminar is being attended by members of the Council of State, Ministers of State, traditional leaders, chief executive officers of the ministries, departments and agencies, Government's Economic Management Team, and stakeholders in the environmental sector.
The workshop would forge partnership in the public sector with key environmental groupings.
It would as well as prepare economic actors, law makers, and traditional authorities to advocate change and make available the necessary resources to protect the country from the imminent dangers of climate change.
Vice President Mahama noted that climate change is real and stressed that in our quest to develop as a country, “let us do so with due consideration for the environment and the quality of life we want to hand down to posterity. This calls for a radical change in our development paradigm”.
He tasked policymakers, governmental and non-governmental bodies to influence developmental policies to ensure the incorporation of climate change mitigation and adaptation at all levels of national development, particularly, in planning and budgeting.
Vice President Mahama explained that climate change presents challenges to the country’s preparedness to manage extreme weather events and disasters which are consequences of climate change.
“In this regard, we need to map out clear disaster risk reduction strategies and also bolster our preparedness to deal with anticipated disasters by strengthening and resourcing our relevant institutions.
“Climate change also presents us with opportunities including funding for developmental projects. Let us position ourselves to take advantage of these opportunities as best as we can,” he said.
He commitment government's determination to implement climate change adaptation policy in national development agenda.
Mr Daniel Amlalo, Chief Executive Officer of Environmental Protection Agency, facilitator of the workshop noted that good forest governance in the country can help combat climate change.
”if Ghana is able to demonstrate good forest management practices it stands to gain from the carbon benefits through international mechanisms to support reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation and enhance forest carbon stocks.
He said in the last century the nation lost more than three quarters of its forest cover and deforestation trend still continue, therefore Ghana must take full advantage of climate change opportunities to manage the associated challenges.
The workshop was organised by Ministry of Environment Science and Technology, UNDP, African Adaptation Programme on Climate Change, Environmental Protection Agency. **
