Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, Vice Chancellor at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, has cautioned that any failure and delay in addressing climate change would have catastrophic consequences on the food and the agricultural sector.
He said the effects of climate change on food systems were expected to be widespread, intricate, varying geographically and temporally, and significantly influenced by socioeconomic conditions.
Prof Asare-Bediako was speaking at the Environmental Sustainability Summit 2023 attended by experts and technocrats from academia, EPA, legal and entrepreneurial fields, energy sector, fishing communities, General Agricultural Workers Union and CSOs.
The Summit was on the theme: “Climate Change and its Impact on Food Systems and Sustainable Environment.”
The Vice Chancellor said: “While the climate may change, our resilience as a people to do our best to mitigate it must not change.”
Prof Asare-Bediako said the interplay between climate change and food systems had significant implications across all dimensions of sustainable development, adding that addressing these challenges required both mitigation and adaptation strategies.
“In fact, climate change-food systems interactions and the promotion of a sustainable environment are increasingly pivotal in six out of the 17 sustainable development goals,” he said.
The goals include addressing social objectives such as zero hunger (SDG 2); gender equality (SDG 5) and four environmental goals which borders on clean water and sanitation (SDG 6); climate action (SDG 13); life below water (SDG 14) and life on land (SDG 15).
He said climate change posed significant threats not only to food insecurity to humans but water scarcity, flooding, infectious diseases, extreme heat, economic losses, and displacement and called for continuous development of solutions to tackle the challenges.
Dr Naomi Kumi, a Lecturer, Department of Atmospheric and Climate Science at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, said, “if we continue destroying our forest cover, water bodies, lands, burning charcoal and tyres, in the next five years it will be dangerous for our survival.”
She said the globe was warming and affecting rainfall patterns and when farmers planted their maize would struggle to grow and would die off, leading to shortage, food insecurity and high prices.
“If we don’t take stringent measures where policy would put some “punishment” on some activities that adversely affect climate change our economy would be affected largely,” she added.
Dr Dramani Bukari, Entrepreneurship and Investment Director, Ghana Climate Innovation Centre, told the GNA that climate change had impacted inflows of grants to Ghana, where the country had lost $95 million as of 2020 and it had been projected to reach $350 million in 2050.
“From floods alone, we are losing around $100 million and by 2050 it is supposed to reach $200 million. Crop yields particularly cereals (maize) are estimated to reduce by 21 per cent and when that happens, food prices are going to skyrocket and would have a significant impact on people’s wellbeing,” he said.
