Let’s emulate IFRC’s assistance to fight climate change!!

 Ghanaian Times deems it appropriate to commend the Interna­tional Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) for allocating US$1 mil­lion to support locally-led climate change actions in Ghana over a period of five years.

The assistance, which spans 2022-2027 is to be rolled out with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and so the USAID also deserves tonnes of commendation.

Climate change is a long-term shift in the average weather pat­terns affecting local, regional and global climates.

These changes have a broad range of observed effects such as heat waves, flooding and drought.

Such shifts can be natural due to changes in the sun’s activity but human activities like burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests are increasingly influenc­ing the climate and the earth’s temperature.

It is said that the causes of climate change add enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, thereby increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming.

The negative effects of climate change can undermine liveli­hoods, cause some diseases and thus prevent people to enjoy life in the fullest.

The situation makes it impera­tive that governments must put in measures to combat the natural phenomenon.

Thus national budgets would be over-stretched, particularly in poor countries like Ghana, which means such countries need as­sistance to be able to implement their climate change adaptation plans.

Climate change affects dif­ferent regions of the earth and countries differently.

In Ghana, we can talk of flooding, unbearable heat and change in rainfall pattern with all their devastating effects.

All we are saying is that climate change is a phenomenon that must be addressed globally with the appropriate actions.

Generally such actions could include campaigning to produce behavioural change; developing more sustainable commuting; producing products and food lo­cally; providing services to people affected by climate change; and most importantly considering local solutions, including sustain­able energy access and transfor­mation.

It is said that prominent pro­grammes among Ghana’s adapta­tion policy initiatives include the National Climate Change Master Plan Action Programmes for Implementation (2015–2020), the Nationally Determined Contribu­tions (NDC, 2015), the National Climate Change Policy (NCCP, 2013) and the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (NCCAS, 2012).

The NDC, for instance, reaf­firms its commitment to interna­tional climate change obligations under the Paris Agreement.

It highlights the country’s long-term mitigation and adap­tation goals and ways to provide synergistic avenues to reduce sector-wide vulnerabilities, build resilience and enhance overall efforts toward a green economy.

Thus, we believe that the Green Ghana Project, for exam­ple, is a climate change adapta­tion initiative that can help the country immensely in its bid to combat climate change.

In fact all the actions need money and certain materials to implement.

In the face of the threat of climate change, the Ghanaian Times appeals that Ghanaians everywhere should support all the efforts being made in the country to combat climate change.

Organisations and even capa­ble individuals can offer more financial assistance in addition to all that we can do in kind.