We have to be aware of the necessary consequences involved in commercializing Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). The subsidy was to reduce deforestation in Ghana, and luckily for us many Ghanaians are adopting the idea of using Gas instead of charcoal and firewood.

Sustainable development involves shrewd use of a nation’s resources to meet the needs of its people in a manner that is in agreement with the physical environment. The current trend of deforestation, if not reversed now, will cause not only the extinction of thousands of animal and plant species but also lead to a significant change in the country’s development pattern and progress.

The impact of deforestation is extensive, affecting the livelihoods of local people, disrupting important environmental functions and severely destroying the original forest ecosystem. Some of these problems that deforestation cause are soil erosion and soil nutrients depletion, climate change with extreme weather conditions, flooding and landslides, drying up of streams and rivers or shortage of fresh water, loss of wildlife habitat, forest areas changing into Savanna or desertification . The continuous loss of forest is indeed having serious detrimental effect on sustainable development.

The use of LPG has really reduced deforestation in some parts of the country, we should not take this for granted, when we commercialize and the users can’t afford it, they will go back to the old trend. There are so many schools, restaurants, and institutions in Ghana, who use LPG even though the demand is high. There are so many talented welders who are making coal pots in different forms that can be used by LPG If we commercialize LPG, it is not only going to destroy the forest, but, it will also cease employment for the youth out there that made and sell cookers that can use LPG, even cook food prices will increase, fire outbreaks will also increased.

Even though these vehicles use the LPG, the fare is still the same, so they should buy it on commercial prizes whiles household users should purchase it in the subsidy prizes.

Shallom Lumor princesshallom@yahoo.com