|
The Evergreen Club of Ghana (ECOG)
last Friday organized a one – day youth interactive forum on climate
change and energy for students of 1st and 2nd
cycle institutions, members of Youth Associations, Women’s Associations
and NGOs.
The theme for the occasion was
“Empowering the youth with information for sustainable development”.
Speaking at the forum the chairperson for the occasion, Prof. Lewis
Enu-Kwesi of the Botany Department of the University of Ghana, stressed
that climate change is real and a global problem; hence, there is the
need for a concerted effort from all the citizens of the world to
address the issue. He also pointed out the need for Ghanaians to protect
our environment from pollutions and the need to plant more trees to
serve as a sink for carbon dioxide.
Ms Sakeena K. Bonsu the National
Director of ECOG, in a welcome address, said that sustainable
development issues have once again taken center stage in world affairs
as evidenced by the number of international and national
programs/activities currently taking place and the types of
personalities involved in the search for solutions. She said
personalities like Bill Clinton and Al Gore, the former President and
Vice President of USA, are all involved in the global effort to combat
climate change. The issue also received much attention during the tenure
of office of Busumuru Kofi Annan as the UN Secretary General. ECOG is
particularly targeting the youth for education on sustainable
development as they have the propensity of carrying on the education at
home and at school level. They also have great potential, which can be
tapped for producing the necessary change desired to ensure sustainable
development.
Addressing the issue of climate
change, Mr. Emmanuel Arthur, a Programs Officer of the Environmental
Protection Agency, suggested that sustainable development should be the
center of focus for all development actions. That is, in planning, we
should look at the needs of future generations. On the issues of
adaptation and mitigation, the Programs Officer explained that the pace
of the climate change has been very rapid rendering mitigation efforts
quite negligible and hence, advancing the argument for adaptation to the
climate changes.
In his presentation, Mr.Frederick
Ken Appiah a representative from the Energy Commission said in this era
of global warming renewable energy is the best alternative source, as it
does not pollute the environment. The conventional energy source, which
involves the use of fossil fuel, pollutes the environment though it may
induce a faster pace of development
The third presentation for the day,
covered the energy crisis in Ghana and was presented by Mr. Amoako Baah,
a Pirncipal Engineer of the Volta River Authority. He emphasized the
need to use energy judiciously to ensure sustainable supply. He traced
the history of energy development from the time of independence to the
present challenges and addressed the opportunities for the future.
|
EVERGREEN CLUB OF
GHANA
