Climate Change In Ghana

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Ghana has depended on the climate for its economic development for some time now and there is enough scientific evidence to show that, the increasing variability in the hydrological cycle witnessed over the last 30 years in many part of the world is not just a blip on the meteorological time chart. This situation is with us to stay and the chances are that, it is going to intensify further as global warming and adds to the climatic turbulence.

One major disadvantage is that, the developing countries e.g. Africa, are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate extremes. The growing number of weather related disasters puts ever increasing demands on humanitarian relief and is already threatening governments scanty resources for poverty alleviation and sustainable development targets

Currently Ghana is experiencing this climate change in the area of hydroelectric power generation from the volta river which was constructed and commission since 1966. The economy of Ghana is highly dependent on this power source and now this river is drying up due to climate variability for the past years. This situation has seriously affected major industries in Ghana which are major players in the economic development of our country. This situation is a tip of the iceberg.

Stakeholders, including governments must act quickly to adapt to our changing climate. The immediate effects of extreme weather events are tragic and costly but they are not the end of the story. For governments, the impact of lost crops, lost power generation and physical damage of other infrastructure can wipe out decades of development chalked so far. The Governments of Africa and particularly Ghana should not see this changing climate variability only as threat to developments but see it as an opportunities for large ? scale innovations to safe guard the future.

By John Frank Eshun
PhD student from Ghana
Wageningen University
Environmental System Analysis Group
The Netherlands.