My Joy Online
The United Nations Development Programme (UNPD) is
working with the government of Ghana to establish a
Climate Change Commission to c reate awareness on
issues concerning the emission of green house gases and
mobilise the people to halt the process.
Climate change had been one of the most pre-occupying
problems of the planet and aff ects the social and
economic well-being of the people.
As a measure to fight climate change, the UNDP and the
UN Environmental Programme has come up with a report
titled "Global Human Development Report for 2007 and
2008", that seeks to put the human being at the centre of
development.
The Report under the theme: "F ighting Climate Change:
Human Solidarity in a Divided World" produced analysis
that confirmed that climate change was not just a future
scenario but the increasing exposure to droughts, floods,
and storms and were moving the world towards a point at
which irreversible ecological catastrophes were becoming
unavoidable.
Launching the Report in Accra on Tuesday, Professor
George Gyan Baffuor, Deputy Minister of Finance and
Economic Planning said the gov ernment had
demonstrated its commitment to fight the emission of
green house gases by ratifying the Convention on Climate Cha nge.
He said climate change had a major implication on economic p erformance which
hindered efforts at achieving the Millennium Development Goa ls and that there was
the need for African countries who suffered the most, to press on the developed
countries to ratify the Convention so as to mitigate green house gas emissions.
Professor Gyan Baffuor said the government was ready to support companies that
would venture into the product ion of low carbon emission fue ls to power industries to
curb the emission of gases.
He recommended the Report to a ll policy makers and researchers who would ensure
that climate change was mainst reamed into all national devel opment policies, plans
and programmes.
Mr. Daouda Toure, UNDP Residen t Representative said the effects of climate change
meant a lot to Ghana since she had started experiencing tida l waves, eroding of
coastal towns, drought leading to dried rivers and crop failures, among others.
He said climate change respons e measures must be clearly linked with the livelihood of
the poor and be viewed as addi tional vulnerability, but to date it, had been overlooked
in addressing poverty reduction and sustaining growth.
He said Global Report, the 17th to be launched included important aspects of literacy,
life expectancy and standard of living adding that there was also the District Human
Development Report which looked at development gaps at the d istrict level and how to
address them.
Mr. Toure called on the developed countries to give incentives to the developing ones,
who suffered the most from the ir green gas emissions to safeguard economic growth
and efforts to eradicate pover ty.
Mr. Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and
Employment, who chaired the function called for the consider ation to improve, design
and develop infrastructure and equipment compatible with low carbon future.
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