Environmental Protection: Our Civic Responsibility

The natural environment has been so useful to this country in its lifetime. As our former name Gold Coast implies, we were known globally for our gold. The names of some of our towns and communities testify to this richness in natural resources. For instance, Kwaebibrem, which means ‘in the dense forest’ depicts the nature of forests in Ghana. Other names such as Asuogyaman (state across the rivers) and Tongu (near the river) indicate the presence of useful waterbodies. Again, Tamale (Home of the Shea Nuts), Accra (Place of Ants), Bekwai (Oil Palm Forest), New Edubiase (New 'Under the Raphia Palm), and Jirapa (Reed Stream) all indicate the importance of the natural environment in our life as a people.

Ghana is arguably one of the most endowed countries in terms of natural resources. The following summarises some of the notable gifts from nature. “The country (Ghana) is endowed with rich natural resources. Timber, gold, diamonds, bauxite, manganese, and oil contribute to making Ghana among the wealthier nations in West Africa.”(USGS, 2023). Also, “Currently, the leading African gold-producing country and sixth in the world is Ghana, with the country’s gold production amounting to 117.6 tons in 2021.” (ECP, 2022). In 2022, Ghana was the second highest cocoa producer globally, second to only Ivory Coast (WPR, 2023).

Article 41, clauses (g) and (k) of the 1992 Constitution admonish each of us “to contribute to the well-being of the community where that citizen lives” and “to protect and safeguard the environment”, respectively. In my layman’s understanding, these clauses make it mandatory for us to protect our environment as citizens. We should make good use of the environment and protect it from destruction. Yes, the government is responsible for implementing safe protective environment-friendly policies. On the other hand, we the citizens have a collective responsibility to care for our environment, one neighbourhood at a time. The onus lies on us to individually do everything we can to augment the efforts of the mandated institutions towards environmental conservation.

Unfortunately, we continue to suffer from environmental disasters like floods in some cities. Though our forefathers had the foresight to reserve riverbanks for rivers and valleys for non-residential purposes, unfortunately, nowadays some have attempted to convert waterways into building and construction sites. In addition, some of us have succeeded in turning our gutters-properly designed waterways and drainage systems, into garbage dump sites. Sometimes, some of us fail to maintain some of the good things in our country. When the state provides waste bins for us to use on our streets, these people carry their garbage from their houses to fill the public bins. Sometimes, some citizens even steal the bins.

Recently, in a webinar titled “Flooding and its impact on water quality” (reported by the Ghana News Agency on March 26, 2023), Madam Dorcas Adwoa Paintsil, the Executive Secretary of the Water Resources Commission stated that though the United Nations had entreated all member countries to ensure sustainable water and sanitation by the year 2030, research has found that Ghana is far from achieving the set target by 2030. On the same platform, Mr. Sylvester Darko, Senior Hydrologist at the Ghana Hydrological Authority revealed that, in recent times, “floods in Ghana have become [a] perennial challenge in the major cities and communities located in low-lying areas.” In addition, he stated that “Ghana recorded [an] unprecedented flood event in November 2010, which affected 55 communities and displaced 700,000 people. Additionally, 3,234 houses were destroyed while 23,558 acres of farmlands were submerged. Moreover, on June 3, 2015, a flood event led to over 150 deaths, massive destruction of property, and economic losses.”

In 2073, what will the environment look like when our country turns 116 years old? Some custodians of our land, the fundamental unit of the natural environment, are accidentally creating unemployment in the hinterlands, by selling out large portions of agricultural lands for building and construction purposes. We can evaluate the issue and work towards a consensus regarding converting arable land into residential lands via urbanization. It would help if we could devise concrete actions to collectively help curb the menace of ‘galamsey’ which is gradually stealing our cocoa from us.

The assemblies and NGOs could support people who have lost their livelihood due to rapid urbanization. I believe there could be better planning and proper implementation of existing environmental laws in the face of urbanisation. We could be more proactive and devise more strategies to safeguard the environment. We can try and find legislation to regulate land use in the country, if possible. It may not be helpful to convert much of our arable land into residential land. We should reserve green spaces in urban areas and protect them. In the face of rising food insecurity around the globe, we on this side of the equator are gradually losing the gains we have made in food production, probably partially due to poor management of some of our agricultural lands. Portions of our lands have lost their fertility and their biological resources. Overusage and wrongful use of synthetic chemicals in agriculture have caused the loss of plants and animals.

Taking care of the environment is an arduous task that calls for our collective efforts to save our environment and its resources. The simplest way is to start tree planting at the personal level, where possible. This will help purify the air and restore biological resources such as many species of insects, worms, and others that play good ecological roles. Also, we could ensure that we always keep our immediate surroundings clean, dispose of garbage properly, observe construction-related environmental laws, and refuse to engage in destructive activities like bush burning, illegal mining, and open-air defecation. Let's purposefully make our environment green as it promotes good health and reduces stress. We will only gain by helping to restore our environment to its original or near-original state. This is a call for action. Let us start preserving our environment and its associated natural resources today for a better tomorrow.

Environmental Protection: Our Civic Responsibility

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