Ghana
Climate change impacts
It takes only sixteen days for the average Canadian to produce as much greenhouse gases as the average Ghanaian will produce over the course of the entire year. Therefore, January 16th (sixteen days into the year) is "Climate Change Impacts in Ghana Day."
The climate changes that may have the most impact on Ghana are variations in rainfall, rising temperatures, drought, and rising sea levels. The impact of climate variability is already being felt in Ghana. In 2007, a long drought resulted in the switching off of 60% of Ghana's hydro-electric power supply. “Then exceptional rainfall dramatically reversed the situation but caused catastrophic flooding in the northern region, affecting 400,000 people and creating serious short term food shortages.”
For more information on climate change impacts in Ghana, see the Ghana country profile on OneWorld.net
Story
“My name is Augustine Yelfaanibe, I am 36 years old and I am a native of Nandom, a small town in the Upper West Region of Ghana. It is located 30km north of Lawra the District capital. It is also the paramount seat of the Nandom traditional area with a total population of about 15,000—20,000. The indigenous people are Dagara who are mostly farmers and yet most of them hardly live above subsistence level.”
Read the rest of Augustine’s story at WWF’s Climate Witness website.
Credit: Photo copyright, Augustine Yelfaanibe
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