News

Friday, March 11, 2016

Climate finance and good governance in Ghana: What support and mechanisms are needed for responding to climate change?
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot

There has been a growing interest in climate finance in recent years and it is becoming the topic of some of the most heated discussions between developed and developing countries under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations.

Many critical questions such as how much will it cost to counter climate change, how should the funds be channeled so that they reach those most in need, and how to ensure the funds are used most effectively still remain at the level of debate.

Estates of the cost to counter climate change effectively, both terms of adapting to new climate patterns and reducing reliance on carbon energy, vary but uniformly large.

According to UNFCCC, it would cost $380 billion annually just to return global emissions to 2007 levels in the 2030.

Also, the World Bank intimated that adaptation costs in developing countries alone are in the regions of $75-100 billion each year for 2010 to 2050.

Climate change experts suggested that dealing with climate change will be expensive. However, they observed that as big these costs may seem, the cost of not tackling the problem would be so much higher.

It is important to note, the total committed funding for multilateral and bilateral donors for adaptation by 2007 was $450 million, representing less than 1% of what is actually required.

Indeed, the United Nations Development Programme also reported in its 2007/08 Human Development Report that, as of mid-2007, just $26 million of multilateral funding had been delivered under the three operational UNFCCC funds for adaptation-the Least Developed Country Fund, the Special Climate Change Fund and the Strategic Priority on Adaptation. These funds have failed so far to deliver adequate funding to developing countries.

In Africa, climate change is already having an enormous impact on Africa and not excluding Ghana. The impacts are spreading across all sectors of the Ghanaian economy-from agriculture to water, energy and health.

Whiles, Africa is the continent least responsible for climate change; it is also the one most acutely vulnerable to its effects with climate change currently posing serious threats to its economic growth and development, poverty reduction efforts and the prospects for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

According to a paper issued by SEND Ghana and Christian Aid Ghana, both Non-Governmental Organisations hinted that adapting to the changing climate will be crucial for Ghana to achieving its development goals and objectives.

They argued that climate adaptation comes at a cost. This cost may stretch the resources available in the country for fueling national development.

Emerging national response to climate change in Ghana

The challenges of climate change in Ghana are perceived to be a main concern for and a task to be tackled by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST).

It has mandated its Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a global policy influencing role-that is leading Ghana’s negotiation team in the international climate talks under the UNFCCC and also with the role of influencing country policy direction and shaping the emerging national response to climate change.

The sector minister, Ms. Sherry Ayitey announced at the maiden Ghana’s High-Level Dialogue on Climate Change in Accra, today that the ministry and EPA were currently implementing projects including: Clean Development Mechanism which is introducing the pilot mass transport programme in Accra and Kumasi.

Whilst, Waste-management project which is aim at capturing methane gas for re-use and the establishment of an Environmental Council to be chaired by the Vice President of Ghana.

She further added that the ministry and the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) are currently assisting the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to mainstream climate change issues their Medium Term Development Plans (MTDP).

What are the climate costs for Ghana?

EPA has put a figure of $1.4 billion on the cost of adaptation to climate change in the country.

These are significant costs that will have to be met with the help of internationally sourced climate change.

However, Ghana, as a developing country, can only reduce her vulnerability to the impact of climate change on the longer term by managing her natural resources and population in a sustainable manner.

Civil society organizations are saying that the country should meet the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Therefore, there is a need to integrate climate change impact analysis in development planning.

The roles of government and traditional authorities

The Government of Ghana and traditional authorities have a central role to play in mainstreaming climate change into national and district development plans, national and sectoral development strategies and priorities and into decisions concerning natural resource management at district and community level.

While, the traditional authorities must play their role of stewardship over natural resources at the local level in a responsible and accountable manner.
According to the NGOs, “a major concern in the process of addressing climate change challenges in Ghana is that overall institutional capacity and policy implementation is weak and that may affect the delivery of an adequate response and the achievement of the objectives that will be set out by the National Adaptation, which is still in the making”.
Ghanadot