Adapting to climate change: Policy implications for Ghana

English

Climate change poses a major conceptual challenge to all water, land agricultural resources as well as to policymakers. The attribution of climate change is a process of scientifically establishing mechanisms responsible for the changes observed in the earth’s climate. Some dominant mechanisms of these changes have been attributed to human activities such as increasing atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gas; global change to land surface and increasing atmospheric concentration of aerosols. The earth is warming faster than at any time in past centuries. By 2100, the earth’s overall temperature could rise by as much as 6 degree Celsius causing millions of people to be at risk of death due to malnutrition. Climate system responses and associated damages generally extend over a long time after emissions. In this regard, policymakers need to decide how such impacts and emissions will be factored into the decision making process. It is also necessary to find out what limitations to place on counting emissions and how impacts from climate change will be valued over time. It is therefore important for all stakeholders to put in place a framework which will aid policy makers to design appropriate climate change indicators that address the recent attribution of climate change globally. This paper seeks to discuss climate change attribution and its implications for policy by restructuring the causes of attribution in terms of understanding climate as a global resource. Policy implications related to the reduction of attribution in climate change and related adaptation strategies can be more effective when economic factors and incentives are given prominent recognition. The paper concludes by noting some examples for strengthening policy actions to adapt to climate change in Ghana.

Anaman, K. A.; Osei-Amponsah, C.