Member of Parliament (MP) for Oforikrom constituency in Ashanti Region, Dr Emmanuel Kwabena Marfo has charged the law-making body to take a keen interest in the issue of climate change and make appropriate policies to protect citizens and the environment.
To him, protecting the environment and the community is a key role of the Parliament, hence, the institution must do everything possible to influence policymakers to tailor policies toward protecting the environment.
“In most of our democratic economies like Ghana, Parliament, a body of representatives elected by the people, some would expect that every issue about climate change, environment that affects the society of the local communities be taken up by their representatives in parliament. And if everything it’s working, parliament should be able to influence policymaking and to play oversight role effectively to make sure that the executive or government is also doing what it’s supposed to do to get a positive impact on the local people”. Dr Emmanuel Kwabena Marfo made this appeal during a speech delivered at Westminster Foundation for Democracy Conference on Environmental Democracy in London.
The lawmaker further in his inspiring and economic changing speech insisted that, if parliamentarians fail to honour such responsibility to the communities, then it is a clear indication that there is a problem.
“And so if this is not what we see in most our democracies, then it means that there is a problem; whether the democratic systems we created is able to deliver the environmental goals, environmental sustainability that we desire,” Dr Emmanuel Kwabena Marfo.
How is climate change affecting Ghana?
According to research, three major physical impacts of climate change that affect Ghana include temperature change, change in rainfall and sea-level rise.
Research report that there is a shift in the rainfall regime in Ghana towards a longer dry season and vanishing wet season.
In spite of the signing of the convention by Ghana, the country still faces the adverse effect of climate change in the form of health problems, climate-induced disruption of agricultural systems, flooding of coastal areas which are already undergoing erosion and low operating water level of the only hydro-generating dam (Akosombo Dam) in the country, (which produces about 80% of national electricity supply), as a result of reduced levels of precipitation.
Source: Oyerepafmonline.com/ Joseph Marfo
