Climate on the ballot: Integrating climate change priorities into political party manifestos ahead of December 7 polls

There is enough evidence that Ghana faces serious threats from climate change and this could set back the country’s development progress if not properly addressed.

Daily, our environment and natural resources are threatened by illegal mining, improper waste disposal, indiscriminate burning, and fumes from vehicles and industries, just to name a few.

The government’s response to addressing these climate threats over the years has not been impressive despite the implementation of policies as well as adaptation and mitigation strategies. There still remains a lot to be done. As such, stakeholders and the government must be well-positioned and equipped to lead Ghana to a climate-resilient future.

An important but often overlooked stakeholder are political parties. Undoubtedly, political parties in Ghana have played crucial roles in advocating for change and ideas in diverse areas, including environmental development. As governments in waiting, their actions today could transform into public policies in the future and this is a more reason why we need to keep a close eye on them, ensuring that their promises and programs as usually outlined in their manifestos resonate with the needs of the ordinary Ghanaian in terms of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

As political parties continue to campaign for political power in the lead-up to the December 7 2024 elections, it has become important that political parties are well informed on ways to tackle climate change issues as policymakers and governments in waiting.

Key questions remain, are the drafters of political party manifestos conversant with both local and international policies on climate change? The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for instance, acknowledges two pathways to responding to climate change, which are adaptation, where the focus is on reducing the effects of climate change and mitigation, which looks at reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) that are causing climate change. Although past strategies have focused more on adaptation and less on mitigation, as highlighted in the Ghana National Climate Change Policy (2013), given the continuous rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, will their proposed manifestos capature the need for more climate resilient development pathways that will holistically address mitigation, adaptation, and development.

Against this background, below are some key climate change issues political parties must endeavor to address in their political manifestos as they canvass for support ahead of the December 2024 elections:

• Climate change consciousness (literacy and awareness promotion).

Awareness of climate change is generally low among the Ghanaian populace. As of 2022, a survey by Afrobarometer indicates that 53% of Ghanaians are not aware of or have not heard about climate change. On the flip side, those who do, cannot also tell whether the information they receive on climate change is true or false. To address this would require that political parties make a conscious effort to get everyone to buy into the concept of climate change, and by making a conscious effort to carry the message about climate change to millions of people across the country. The manifestos of the various political parties must tell in detail how they are going to increase awareness as well as build the literacy competencies of young people to discern truth from fiction. This may include a blend of strategies such as integrating climate education into manifestos targeting schools and communities, integrate climate literacy into school curriculum among many others.

• Stopping deforestation and other activities like “galamsey” that drive climate change

Illegal mining, popularly known as “galamsey”, illegal logging, and other deforestation activities have significantly impacted our environment, leading to the loss of forest cover, and pollution of water bodies. Although efforts have been made by past and present governments to nip this menace in the bud, it appears to be “a much-ado-about-nothing.” To ruthlessly deal with this menace also means the government must enforce existing mining laws, particularly those that bar foreign nationals from engaging in small-scale mining.

• Climate finance mobilization/accountability for all mitigation and adaptation projects

Ghana’s economy relies heavily on agriculture. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization in Ghana, the agriculture industry provides over 90% of the country’s food needs, accounting for over 40% of export revenues and 54% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This industry is vulnerable to climate change and as a result, increasing resilience is necessary to ensure food security, poverty reduction, and economic growth. Ghana’s climate finance needs are vast, and mobilizing additional resources would be necessary to achieve both climate goals and broader development objectives. Political parties in their manifestos must come clear on: where, how, and when they are going to mobilize funds to address climate change needs.

• Phasing out single-use plastic packaging and incentivizing green packaging initiatives

The impacts of plastic production, use, and disposal on the environment and society present a number of challenges. Because single-use plastics are produced from fossil fuels, extracting and creating these plastics emits vast amounts of greenhouse gases. Worldwide, more than 300 million tons of plastic generated annually are single-use plastics. Water and soda bottles, plastic shopping bags, product packaging, straws, coffee cups are examples of single-use plastics. An estimated 1.5 to 12.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses are released from the simple process of extracting these fossil fuels and transporting them to plastic manufacturing facilities. According to the business-as-usual scenario, Ghana records a plastic waste collection rate of 49%. Managed plastic waste is estimated to be 25%, while 66% is mismanaged (26% dumped on land, 23% dumped at uncontrolled dumpsites, and 17% burned openly), and 9% leaks into water bodies. As a result, about 1.8 million metric tons of plastic will be mismanaged per year by 2040 if urgent actions are not taken to address the root causes of plastic waste mismanagement. The best way to reduce the impact of single-use plastics on climate change is to stop using this type of plastic. This task can seem quite tricky in a world full of plastic packaging. However, even small changes can have a significant impact.And, this begins with legislation that reduces plastic use by the government. Political parties in their manifestos must make deliberate efforts to address plastic use in Ghana and provide alternative solutions. This may include supporting organizations already in the space in addressing plastic pollution.

Other areas that will require political party attention especially with the increase in Ghana’s population is to look critically at sustainable urban development and provide solutions for green cities such as promoting the development of green spaces, sustainable public transport, and energy-efficient buildings in urban areas. They also have to proffer solutions to waste management and water resource management

Political parties should also consider providing strategies for climate resilience and adaptation such as investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, particularly in vulnerable regions prone to floods, droughts, and coastal erosion as well as promoting climate-smart agricultural practices to improve food security and protect livelihoods.

Finally, political parties should propose to the electorate their policy commitments on renewable energy transition and setting clear targets for increasing renewable energy’s share in the national energy mix as well as encouraging private sector investment in solar, wind, and hydropower.

In conclusion, with barely four months to Ghana’s 2024 general elections, governments in waiting owe the Ghanaian populace a responsibility to outline their policies and initiative in addressing climate change. There are myriad of issues affecting this sector. However, incorporating the aforementioned priorities; climate change awareness, stopping deforestation, climate finance mobilization and phasing out single-use plastics, policy commitment on renewable energy transition, will go a very long way in addressing climate change.