By Doreen Ampofo
This year’s World Environment Day has been marked with a call on government to take urgent action that prioritises young people in climate policies.
The call was made by panellists and participants at a dialogue organised by the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) as part of its Climate Change Action Now initiative.
The event, which brought together policymakers, diplomats, academic leaders, youth leaders, development partners and members of the media, aimed to call for urgent action to protect the environment and reduce the impact of climate change. It was held under WASCAL’s Climate Change Action Now (CCAN) initiative, which was launched last year.
The event comes as Ghana continues to experience significant effects of climate change, including erratic rainfall patterns, more frequent floods and droughts, and accelerating coastal erosion, which is disrupting lives and livelihoods in communities such as Keta. These impacts have been worsened by the indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste.
Speaking to journalists, the Executive Director of WASCAL, Professor Emmanuel Ramdé, lauded the government’s decision to implement a ban on the use of Styrofoam and polystyrene materials next year.
According to him, the move is a critical step towards ensuring that Ghana does not become increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts, including floods and droughts, which threaten agriculture, health, education and livelihoods.
“While the government’s decision to implement the ban on Styrofoam and polystyrene materials is commendable, a lot needs to be done to completely ban plastics,” he noted.
He believes involving young people in critical climate-resilient policies will help ensure their success.
The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Director at the Office of the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, Mr Moses Ayamga, also expressed the government’s commitment to implementing climate-resilient policies.
“Like WASCAL and all of you, my Ministry values grassroots action and small-scale innovation. This is why we also support WISE – the WASCAL Innovative Ideas Competition for Sustainable Energy,” he said.
The event climaxed with a panel discussion, during which participants called for stronger action to mitigate the impacts of climate change and increase youth participation in environmental policymaking.
