My Ghana Electronic Desk

Climate change will reverse years of work reducing poverty in the developing world without strong, urgent action, according to a report released Tuesday. The Future Climate for Development calls on governments and NGOs to build climate change into their economic development programmes to help low-income countries manage its impacts and seize new opportunities as the world shifts to a low-carbon economy. The report, produced by independent sustainability experts Forum for the Future with support from the Department for International Development (DFID), explores how climate change will transform low-income countries over the next 20 years, causing profound social, economic and political transformations as well as major environmental impacts. Stephen O’Brien, International Development Minister, said: “Without urgent action, climate change threatens to undo years of work tackling poverty in the developing world. “That is why the UK is now working acr...

EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Many Africans blame themselves for the impacts of global climate change they are witnessing despite being least responsible for the causes, finds a groundbreaking pan-African research report from the BBC World Service Trust and the British Council. Just as a lack of practical information and resources hindered attempts to combat the HIV and AIDS pandemic, now millions of people whose lives are directly impacted by climate change do not have access to relevant, appropriate information that helps them respond to challenges they face, says the report. Africa Talks Climate , the most extensive research ever conducted on the public understanding of climate change in Africa, which involved over 1,000 citizens in discussions across ten countries, from Sudan to South Africa , Kenya to Ghana, found that people tend to cite local issues such as tree cutting and bush burning, rather than global emissions, as the greater cause of their cha...

EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Ghana’s 21 st National WASH Stakeholders Conference dubbed Mole Conference, comes off in Accra on Tuesday on the theme, “Global Climate Change: A Challenge For The WASH Sector in Ghana.” According to the Coalition of NGOs in the Water and Sanitation Sector (CONIWAS), the Mole XXI Conference, which will be held from July 20, 2010 to July 23, 2010, is focusing on Climate Change because i t is becoming increasingly clear that the phenomenon poses a dire threat to the realisation of a world of hope, tolerance and social justice, where improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), help the poor and vulnerable to live in dignity. “The poor people that CONIWAS seek to serve are already experiencing the impact of climate change in their day –to- day lives. As a result of climate change greater numbers of people lack access to adequate and safe water, health threats are increasing, more people are suffering from hunger, productivity i...

EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE A new global agreement intended to protect the biodiversity of developing nations from unfair exploitation could do more harm than good, according to Krystyna Swiderska, a senior researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development. The senior researcher outlines her views in an opinion article published this week on the BBC website, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8810627.stm . According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) which announced this through a press release, the article refers to a new international law — or protocol — that the 193 governments that are party to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity aim to adopt when they meet in Nagoya , Japan in October. The protocol is meant to control access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge , and ensure that the benefits that arise from their use are shared fairly. However, with the final negotiating session before Oct...

EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE The United Nations Environment Programme has released the first global assessment of mangroves in over a decade, which reveals that rare and critically important mangrove forests continue to be lost at a rate three to four times higher than land-based global forests, despite positive restoration efforts by some countries. According to the release issued today Wednesday July 14, 2010,  although about one fifth of all mangroves are thought to have been lost since 1980 and losses are slowing at 0.7 per cent a year, the authors of the report dubbed the World Mangrove Atlas, warn that any further destruction due to shrimp farming and coastal development will cause significant economic and ecological decline. Economic assessments provide some of the most powerful arguments in favour of mangrove management, protection or restoration. Studies estimate that mangroves generate between US$2000-9000 per hectare annually, considerably ...

EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE Over 40 African Environment ministers, have adopted a set of bold decisions and a 71-point declaration to help strengthen Africa’s negotiating position on climate change and biodiversity. Known as the Bamako Declaration, the adoption, which was done after the 13 th Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) held two weeks ago, is the continent’s new road map for sustainable development as well as the continent’s basis for strengthening its common negotiating position on climate change and biological diversity. AMCEN’s in-coming President, Prof. Thiemoko Sangare, who is also the Minister of Environment and Sanitation of the Republic of Mali led the over 40 African Environment ministers, gathered at the Centre International de Conférences de Bamako in deliberating and adopting the set of bold decisions and the 71-point declaration. In adopting the Bamako Declaration, African Environment minister...

EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, has announced that its new environmental and social standards will become operational by January 2011. According to the IFC, consultations are currently ongoing around the world with stakeholders and it is envisaged that reviewed and new standards to aid the institution in its work with the private sector would be completed by the end of this year and become functional next year. Disclosing this in Accra on Friday at a press conference after a stakeholders consultation on the IFC’s operating standards involving about 45 participants from Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and the United States of America, Greg Radford, IFC Director for Environment and Social Development, said “at IFC we have environmental and social performance standards that we apply to all our investments, we want to ensure that we protect the environment ...