Women in the forest conservation value chain have been urged to show commitment in championing environment and resource management discourse towards pushing the climate change agenda.
Mr Kwesi Eyiah-Mensah, the Western North Regional Director, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said that could enhance Ghana’s efforts towards addressing climate change and other biodiversity conservation challenges.
Speaking at a capacity building workshop for women in forestry, Mr Eyiah-Mensah said although Ghana had made several local and international commitments in the fight against climate change, the active involvement of women in the sector was not encouraging.
The workshop was organised by the Rights and Advocacy Initiatives Network (RAIN), an NGO focusing on developing a resilient environment for humanity, in partnership with ClientEarth, an international environmental protection organisation.
Participants were taken through the causes and impacts of climate change on humans, agriculture, water bodies, health, energy, and coastal settlements among others.
Mr Eyiah-Mensah said since shifts in temperatures and weather patterns continued to pose threats in the years ahead, adopting measures to control them were important.
Available data indicates that over 800 million people (11 per cent of global population) are currently vulnerable to climate change impacts and extreme weather events.
At current emission trajectories, it is predicted that global temperatures would rise by two degrees by 2050.
The World Bank said if climate actions were not scaled up globally, 100 million people could be forced into poverty by 2030.
Ghana, through its National Adaptation Plan, aims at integrating climate resilient activities into new and existing policies to build strong societies and ecosystems.
Mrs Doreen Asumang-Yeboah, the Director of RAIN, called on environmental conservationists and advocates to constantly equip themselves with emerging strategies in protecting the lives of plants and animals.
By Florence Afriyie Mensah, GNA
