Ghana experiences drought and flooding in some areas, which has become a yearly concern for the populace and the government. This is evidence of climate change in Ghana. People who live along the Volta river's banks are frequently evicted and left without a place to live. A result of the circumstance, agricultural output has decreased. Climate and rainfall variations have also contributed to an ecological imbalance, which has resulted in an increase in pests and diseases like cerebrospinal meningitis, which is particularly common in Ghana's Northern Region. In the northern Savannas, both floods and droughts are becoming more frequent occurrences, frequently accompanied by high temperatures and extreme heat. By the end of this century, more sea level rise and storm surges are projected to have an impact on Ghana's coastal regions, which are already vulnerable to coastal erosion, particularly along the eastern coastline. Seismic risks are present in the Accra area, especially the Akosombo Dam. More than 12 million people were impacted by insufficient rainfall during the main cropping season during the previous significant severe drought in 1982–1983. More recently, the devastating floods of 2007 in north Ghana came as a direct result of a dry spell and ruined the first maize harvest. It has caused an increase in sea level, precipitation, droughts, and floods as well as the temperature of the earth's surface.

                      The south's aquatic life has been impacted, which has decreased the economic activities of the majority of residents, who are primarily fisherman. This has prevented many people from finding other ways to raise their living standards, which has had a negative impact on education, health, and social well-being. Ghana's population now faces a major threat to their way of life from climate change. Because of how climate change is directly affecting education, educational infrastructure has been harmed. The 2007 National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) report cites harsh weather as a contributing factor to incidents like school buildings collapsing. One hundred and ninety-nine (199) classrooms reportedly collapsed during the flood, which had an impact on two hundred and ten (210) schools.

                    Regarding employment, rising temperatures, declining precipitation, and its unpredictability are likely to put the livelihoods of about 60% of the working population, the majority of whom are small-scale rural farmers, in jeopardy. This will have a negative impact on poverty, health, education, gender equality, environmental degradation, and food security. The reliance on rain-fed and low-input agriculture will cause output to fall, resulting in lower revenues for farmers, which is predicted to have an impact on food security. As a result, poverty levels will rise and the danger of malnutrition will rise. A drop in subsurface recharge and yearly river flows in Ghana as a result of climate change issues may cause a water crisis in the near future. The CSIR-WRI 2000 report on Climate Change and Water Resources, which predicts that by the year 2020, all river basins will be susceptible and the entire country will experience a severe water scarcity, makes this clear. Additionally, it projects that groundwater recharge will decline by 5-22% for 2020 and by 30-40% for 2050 in Ghana, with annual river flows generally declining by 15-20% for 2020 and 30-40% for 2050.Because of the varying weather patterns, road networks are susceptible to damage in the transportation industry. Either erosion, flooding, or even extremely high temperatures might do them damage. As a result of the causes and effects of climate change in Ghana, the tourism industry is predicted to suffer from increased infrastructure damage, increased operating costs (such as insurance, backup water and power systems, and evacuations), and increased inconvenience, risk, and high travel costs for visitors.

                  Since agricultural yields are falling and will continue to fall, the impact of climate change on agriculture in Ghana would be severe if wise actions are not taken to lessen the threat. Lest Ghanaians forget, 60 percent of the country's people work in agriculture, with the majority operating smallholder farms with primitive equipment. The Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis report (2009) and the World Food Programme warn that the production of cereal crops alone is expected to decline by 7% over the next 40 years, providing clear evidence of climate change in Ghana. According to the report, only 1.2 million Ghanaians, or 5% of the country's total population, had access to enough food for an active and healthy life by 2009. Reduced soil fertility owing to changes in precipitation and temperature, rainfall deficits leading to desertification of grazing pastures, and decreased water availability for animals are some of the climate change challenges affecting Ghana's agriculture. Other effects of climate change on agriculture in Ghana include shifts in agro-ecological zones that are too quick for plants and farming systems to adjust to, loss of cropland due to erosion and desertification, and an increase in the need for irrigation. In addition to reduced yields brought on by insufficient rainfall or flooding, rising temperatures also result in an increase in pest assaults. Ghana's southern region is experiencing coastline erosion and the loss of valuable coastal agricultural land, while the north is experiencing outmigration of people, particularly to southern Ghana, which has an effect on national security. Additionally, as a result of climate change, more vectors and vector-borne diseases are being experienced. Food security, poverty, health, education, gender equality, and environmental degradation will all suffer as a result of unsustainable livelihoods brought on by climate change. This is because agriculture and food security are intertwined.

                      In response to the issues, Ghana has adopted the Ghana Climate Change Policy, which lays out a precise plan for addressing the problems associated with climate change. The strategy addresses four issues related to climate change and variability: rising greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of carbon sinks, rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and rainfall unpredictability leading to catastrophic and unpredictable events. The Ghana Climate Change Policy is a commendable endeavor, but it lacks solid foundations for implementation, let alone sustainability, so its implementation is likely to be challenging.

 

1.  REFERENCES

1.  https://worldnewsday.org/yen-effects-of-climate-change-in-ghana/

2.     PURC (2018), Publication of Water Tariffs, 5 September 2018, Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, available at http://www.purc.com.gh/purc/sites/ default/files/wtr_tarf_eff_160918.pdf.

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4.      Schafer, C A (2010), Impact of Tank Material on Water Quality in Household Water Storage Systems in Cochabamba, Bolivia, MSc thesis, University of South Florida, USA, available at http://cee.eng. usf.edu/peacecorps/5%20-%20Resources/Theses/ Water/2010Schafer.pdf. 

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