About 100 District Coordinating Directors in the Ashanti, Western, Eastern and Central Regions have been sensitised on the need to include adaptation strategies in their development plans to address the effects of climate change.
Addressing the Coordinating Directors, the Program Officer in charge of Climate Vulnerabilities and Adaptation, Dr Antwi Boasiako Amoah charged the head of assemblies to come out with innovative ways to address their financial issues to inculcate climate adaptation plans to offset the effects of the weather phenomenon on the people.
He said the country will start the implementation of the National Adaptation plan early next year, hence the need for a sensitisation program for major stakeholders ahead of its implementation.
Climate change adaptation is a response to global warming that seeks to reduce the vulnerability of social and biological systems to relatively sudden change and help offset the effects of climate change. Ghana is experiencing climate change in the form of extreme and erratic weather patterns. This include flooding, windstorms, heatwaves and drought. Dr Boasiako Amoah noted that climate adaptation planning already exist at different levels of institutions but what the National Adaptation Plan seeks to do among others is to guide and coordinate adaptation in the medium and long term development of the country.
The NAP is being implemented in seven priority sectors including agriculture, water, infrastructure and health in line with the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions to address climate change. The District Coordinating Directors expressed their preparedness to educate the people on the effects of climate change which they are already experiencing, but mentioned inadequate funds as a problem.
The western Regional Director of the EPA, Yaw Sarfo- Afriyie mentioned sand winning, destruction of wetlands as some human induced practices increasing the effects of climate change. Bernice Pomaa Damoah from Sekyere Central District Assembly mentioned vehicular emissions in the area as worrying and wondered how those vehicles can take off the roads. The NAP framework is being implemented by the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
A consultant of the Project, Dr Rose Mensah- Kutin entreated the participants to be gender sensitive while developing projects since climate change affects men, women and vulnerable groups differently and so should adaptation planning be tailored to meet the needs of all groups. She said women and girls bear the effects of smoke inhalation the most, due to their stereotypical roles in the kitchen.
On use of charcoal, the participants acknowledged its effects to deforestation, but noted that the price of Liquid Petroleum Gas, is expensive for the average person.
By JOYCE GYEKYE.
