As the saying goes,? Poverty is hierarchical but smog is democratic?, many Ghanaians and other individuals globally think they are safe because they do not produce so much greenhouse gases and therefore they are safe from climate change effects. However, air has no boundaries in the atmosphere and so are the clouds above us. The planet Earth is in constant motion- rotation and revolution, thus, air is distributed globally. The effects of global warming affects every nation, directly or indirectly and so it should be a global responsibility.

The high level of ignorance and illiteracy on the side of most individuals makes it difficult to communicate the need to act on climate change – adaptation and mitigation. Some incidents in local communities, however, makes it easier to communicate climate change impacts and call for necessary action.

Explaining global warming effects and how the poles are melting even, the melting of the ice cap on the mountain Everest- which in turn increases sea level in countries that are really far from the location of melting, serves as evidence for persons who doubt the democratic nature of climate impact.  Bit by bit, West Africa's coasts are eroding away, the dry land being covered by the water by a destructive mix of natural erosion and human meddling.

Globally, half of the world?s population resides within 200 km of coasts and 70% of megacities are located along the coast. Which shows the importance of the coast in location of major cities and industries. Resurgent economies like most countries in West Africa, if we loose our coasts due to climate effects, then how do we expand in our economies? From Senegal to Nigeria, scientists say eroding beaches will soon pose an unavoidable threat to booming coastal populations. Guinea-Bissau has already lost one of its finest beaches to erosion, and Gambia's capital Banjul had to borrow millions of dollars to regenerate a beach crucial for keeping the capital connected to the country's roads.

In Ghana, a glimpse of a threatening future in response to climate change can be seen in Totope. A town situated with a lagoon to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, the village of less than three thousand is cursed by its geography. Salt water seeps through the makeshift landfill that Totope rests on. Villagers walk on soggy ground, dodging creeks that run between houses, and they hang their possessions from ceiling rafters to keep them above their often-wet floors.

From 2007, there was a gradual change in Ghana?s rainfall pattern but most people failed to recognize it. After the Akosombo dam dried up in 2007, and the excessive rainfall that led to the overflow of Ghana?s major water bodies- In 2010, for the first time in 20 years, the level of the Akosombo Dam Reservoir (which provides electricity to Ghana and its neighboring West African countries), rose to above its maximum, flooding communities close to the Volta River. An estimated 378 000 people were displaced as a result of the floods.

In 2014, continuous down pour during the rainy season causes lots of threat to the countries agricultural sector and also residents who lived close to water bodies. The countries National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), aided displaced settlements victims with compensation (money) to enhance resettlement. However, there is no effective public adaptation or mitigation plan to combat climate change effects in the country. Our systems do not work effectively, the country prefers paying sums of money to compensate victims of flooding and other climate change related disasters rather than investing into sectors that can help mitigate these impacts or disasters. People build around water bodies and our coastal dwellers are also involved in beach sand mining which is a very dangerous act to indulge in at such an estimated increasing of sea levels globally.

These acts demonstrate the low level of knowledge and understanding of the public on climate change and its effects.