Road to Election 2024: Experts call for direct climate change policies

Some experts in climate change and the broader environment space have expressed reservations about the less attention that was given to policies for enhancing climate action ahead of the December 7 polls.

They said it was worrying that despite the excruciating impact of the climate crisis across all sectors, the political discourse in the lead-up to the election had been largely focused on issues such as the economy, education, job creation and infrastructure development, without critical scrutiny of proposals for climate action.

In separate interviews with the Daily Graphic, the climate change experts stressed that while the country was experiencing worsening climate change impacts such as flooding, longer dry spells, coastal erosion and potential food insecurity, prominence had not been given to climate action as the country goes to the polls.

Those who spoke to the Daily Graphic were a climate change expert at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu; the Director, Climate Vulnerabilities and Adaptation at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr Antwi-Boasiako Amoah; a natural resources and environmental management expert at Tropenbos Ghana, Boakye Twumasi Ankra; an Environmental Communication lecturer at the School of Communication at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Dr Akwasi Bosompem Boateng and the Project Coordinator of Connecting Communities, Climate and Politics for Tomorrow Project (3CP), Charles Smith.

The Daily Graphic’s assessment of the 2024 political party manifestos revealed that parties had itemised some environmental policies intended to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that trigger climate change, with most of the measures centered on tree planting, restoration of degraded lands and energy transition.

The assessment of the manifesto promises on climate change is against the backdrop that the clock is fast ticking towards the 1.5°C threshold of global warming that Ghana and other countries signed for in the Paris Agreement.

Again, a UN report launched on October 25 ahead of the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) warned that if countries continue with their current environmental policies, it would lead to 3.1 degrees Celsius warming over pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.

The NDC promises

Under the environment theme of its 162-page manifesto for the 2024 election dubbed Resetting Ghana, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) says it is mindful of the country’s vulnerability to climate change and will pass a National Climate Change Law to tackle the menace.

The party promises to prioritise adaptation and mitigation measures to, among other things, enhance climate resilience of sensitive economy sectors, including agriculture, water resources, forestry, energy, fisheries and aquaculture, infrastructure and tourism.Again, the party has promised to align national efforts and policies with international efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C and collaborate with global partners to implement the same for sustainable development.

The NDC also says it will implement measures to facilitate the just transition to renewable energy sources, as well as the implementation of energy efficiency technologies and practices to reduce household consumption of electricity, which will ultimately reduce the energy budget of households.

The party further pledges that environmental sustainability will be integrated into all aspects of national development planning while implementing policies and programmes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

It further intends to invest in renewable energy sources to diversify the energy mix and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, which contribute significantly to carbon footprints.

Among other things, the manifesto highlights steps an NDC government will take to support the development and implementation of community-based natural resource management initiatives; enhance local communities’ capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change through targeted interventions and support; and promote innovative technologies and practices to enhance environmental sustainability and resilience.

NPP’s possibility manifesto

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has also put out in its manifesto some measures intended to promote responsible mining, protect the environment and subsequently contribute to tackling the global climate crisis.

One such measure is the promise to enhance the protection of the country’s forests and biodiversity hotspots, including the restoration of forests through reforestation programmes.

To achieve this objective, the party has targeted 30,000 hectares of degraded areas for reforestation and plantation development annually.

In addition, the NPP has promised to establish 1,000 hectares of bamboo and rattan plantations annually for watershed protection and plantation development.

The party has also pledged to provide tree seedlings and plantain suckers in a minimum of 1,000 communities to enhance the national reforestation and plantation development programme.

Great Transformation Plan

For its part, the Movement for Change (M4C), which presents former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, as an independent presidential candidate, promises to scale up the government’s current efforts at reducing the country’s carbon footprints and facilitate access to the carbon trading markets.

The M4C further says its major strategic objective for climate action will be anchored on establishing mechanisms to strengthen the country’s preparedness against the negative effects of climate change.

Specifically, the M4C pledges to “undertake a comprehensive review of the management and operations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and identify key interventions that will strengthen EPA as a regulatory institution, and enhance its programmes and service delivery”.

It also promises to establish EPA as an independent authority under a new Act of Parliament, with a renewed mandate to coordinate the inter-sectoral activities required under a National Climate Change Policy.

Expert views

In the interview with the Daly Graphic, the WMO’s Prof. Matazu observed that the design and roll-out of comprehensive policies on adaptation and mitigation of climate change were non-negotiable and that any government that had the welfare of its citizens at heart “must act or suffer the consequences”.

“The more countries develop policies and programmes for adaptation and mitigation, the less suffering we will have regarding climate change effects and the less we do adaptation and mitigation, there will be more suffering. More suffering means that the economies, gross domestic product (GDP), livelihoods and society and development will be affected,” he added.

Against this backdrop, Prof. Matazu stressed that Ghanaians, like citizens of any other country, “must pay particular attention to the policies the government and political parties seeking to lead their country have to tackle the climate crisis”.

Prof. Matazu stressed that citizens must look out for mitigation and adaptation measures such as switching to efficient transportation systems, particularly electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

He added that citizens must embrace climate policies that promote rural electrification to reduce the pressure on wood and charcoal as fuels.

Climate governance

For his part, Dr Amoah said any policy intervention targeted at addressing climate change must look at enhancing governance structure and facilitating climate actions.

To ensure a robust governance regime for climate change, he said policies of political parties seeking power must look at creating a division at the EPA that would have the capacity to take more staff for climate change issues.

Dr Amoah said as a measure to mainstream climate change into all aspects of national development, units and departments must be set up at ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) for effective coordination.

The climate expert added that in assessing the manifestos of political parties on climate change, citizens needed to look out for proposals that sought to mainstream climate programmes into key sectors of the economy, including energy, agriculture, health, gender and infrastructure development.Again, he said viable policies on climate change must address climate financing issues. In that regard, he said political parties needed to demonstrate how they intended to institute a dedicated scheme for climate financing for projects to be climate-resilient.

“There should be a budget allocation for climate change, targeting adaptation at the local level. Currently, most of the climate change interventions in the country are donor-funded, but if we want sustainable climate action, we need to have a dedicated budget,” he stressed.

Dr Amoah added that viable climate policies were those which prioritised capacity-building, especially for metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to be on top of climate issues.

He stressed that because Ghana’s agriculture was largely rain-fed, policies by political parties on climate change needed to look at how to provide sustainable irrigation systems while providing safety nets for the cocoa sector, which had been heavily impacted by climate change.

Mixed verdict

Mr Twumasi-Ankra said although some of the policies proposed in the manifestos of the political parties were good at face value, they needed to be properly targeted to make the desired impact.

For instance, he said much as the promise to undertake tree planting as a mitigation measure against climate change was good, the experiences with the government’s Green Ghana initiative had shown that merely planting trees was enough.

“Any policy for the planting of trees for climate effect should not be for political funfair; it should be led by experts and targeted in terms of the species being planted and the appropriate place to plant them,” he said.

Mr Twumasi-Ankra said the policies proposed by political parties to tackle climate change would be meaningless if there were no concerted efforts and demonstrable commitment to halt human activities that were harming the environment and leaving behind carbon footprints.

“There should be a well-thought-through incentive system for local actors at the community level, especially local farmers willing to adopt sustainable practices. Farmers that practice agroforestry should be given benefits in the end product of the trees that they nurture,” he added.

Dr Bosompem said the policies and programmes proposed by contesting political parties were limited in many regards because their solutions were focused on climate change issues of tree planting, renewable energy and land reclamation, “relegating several important complements of climate action to the backdrop”.

“For a developing country such as Ghana, which is affected by diverse climate change issues, the policies of political parties should be all-encompassing to address the multi-faceted challenges to the climate and environment.

“The policies should broadly address mitigation, adaptation, climate justice and equity, sustainable development, international cooperation, implementation and accountability, as well as research and development,” he said.

Mr Smith said since climate change had cross-cutting effects on all sectors, it was important for policy proposals by political parties targeted at tackling the menace to be “progressive, encompassing and comprehensive”.

Specifically, he said priority needed to be given to policies that would help to adapt to or mitigate against climate change excesses such as erratic rainfall patterns, drought, flooding, coastal erosion and tidal waves.

“The policies on climate change must also focus on community engagement to increase knowledge and awareness creation so that people at the local level can take appropriate action,” he added.