Ghana Holds World Wide Views Debate on Climate Change and Energy

Ghana has joined the World to mark the 2015 World Wide Views National Consultation Stakeholder Debate on Climate Change and Energy, the biggest forum simultaneously being marked globally within fifty (50) countries across the world in Accra, June 6, 2015.

The grand event which took place at the Henry Gilbert Dei SSNIT Pensioners Recreational Centre in Accra saw 100 selected people from various fields of life made up of farmers, politicians, hairdressers, students, traditional leaders, faith groups, opinion leaders, youth activist groups and journalists converged at one place to debate on issues of climate change and energy through face to face interaction.

They took turns to debate vigorously among themselves on the sensitive challenges confronting Ghanaians on climate change and the energy sector with the aim of finding solutions towards mitigating its impact and adaptation.

The impact of climate change on Ghana is said to be on the ascendancy these days due to a lot of devastating challenges confronting Ghanaians on daily basis, for example the change in weather patterns resulting into drought in the north, failure of crops, torrential rainfall causing flood coupled with the recent fire disasters, one of them which has claimed over 200 lives in just one night.

These are strong warnings begging for an answer towards quick mitigation and adaptation of our God-given climate from destruction.

It is under this backdrop the 2015 World Wide Views National Consultation Stakeholder Debate on Climate Change and Energy is being organized across the world in fifty countries so that collectively the views of people can be sought and worked on towards policy formulation worldwide.

According to Mr. Pierre Kervanne, an Environmental Officer from the French Embassy in Ghana who spoke to Journalists after the event said actions of European Countries have dire repercussions on the African Countries in terms of high doses of Carbon dioxide emission which is released into the atmosphere every day.

This, he said has been the major contributing factor to the impact of climate change on African countries including Ghana which is hardly hit by flood, fire disasters ,crop failure, droughts and many others.

He advised participants to be prudent in their debate to be able to come out with an accurate views that reflects what actually Ghanaians go through due to the impact of climate change on daily basis, assuring them how useful their views will be in making an input for discussion during the Conference of Parties (COP21) host to be held between 7-8 of December in Paris.

Addressing the participants during the conference, Pierre Kervannel explained that COP21 will bring on board Governments of over 750 countries across the world plus investors, businessmen, United Nations, NGOs and Civil Society Groups to discuss and sign agreement which will be binding on how they can control carbon dioxide emissions across the world in order to mitigate the impact of the climate change.

Mr. Kervannel wondered whether the world would actually agree with Africa to reach consensus with policies and frameworks aiming at the reduction carbon dioxide emission since human beings finds it difficult to share the same views with each other.

But he was however hopeful somehow that no matter what happens in the end there should be an agreement binding that will be used to control and hold nations in terms of carbon dioxide emission accountable for any further damage of the climate.

"It is will be difficult, very challenging for Africans and the world to come to agreement on policies and framework on the mitigation of carbon dioxide emission since people's views are not easily understood by each other sometimes" he stated.

He disclosed Ghana has been selected among fifty (50) countries including China, Australia, France, Togo and others worldwide to partake in the World Convention (COP21 host) conference in France because of its ardent commitment and contribution in the fight against climate change and in solving energy issues.

The Executive Director of Community and Family Aid Foundation (CAFAF), Mr. Joseph Senyo Kwashie on his part noted the views of ordinary people can make a difference during policy formulation since that represents the actual happenings on the ground.

He commended the participants for their decisiveness in taking a bold step to debate on issues towards charting a course to reverse the impact of climate change and assure them their views will be carried across for an input into the global policy framework which is believed to be the end of the road to the devastation of the climate change and energy problems in Ghana.

The 2015 World Views National Debate on Climate Change and Energy is on the theme: "Contributing to the national effort by reaching out to community people in Ghana on climate change and energy.

By Joseph Kobla Wemakor|rodaleen30@gmail.com