By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi, Aug. 13, GNA – Dr Simon Boateng, an Expert in Environmental Management has called for Technology-based policies to deal with climate change impact.
He said building climate resilient systems to combat the global threat as a country must be anchored on technology to achieve the desired results.
Dr. Boateng, who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, emphasised the need to implement strong monitoring systems and remote-sensing technologies such as drones and satellites to mitigate the effects of climate change.
To achieve this, various technologies must be deployed to monitor such projects to protect them from the activities of illegal chainsaw operators and other nation wreckers who deliberately plunder such plantations, he submitted.
According to him, investing in large-scale Agroforestry across the country was one of the effective strategies that could help build the needed climate-resilient systems to contain the devastating effects of climate change.
He said solely relying on human beings to monitor and protect tree plantations was a recipe for failure since most of them could be compromised for their personal gains.
Dr. Boateng, who is also a Lecturer at the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), said the lack of strong monitoring systems was the bane of numerous plantation projects over the years.
He cited the ‘Taungya’ system of farming to back his argument, saying that most of the farmers were not interested in protecting the trees given to them because they could affect the growth of their crops in future.
“This is where drones and satellites could be deployed to monitor such farms so that prompt steps could be taken to address any illegal activity,” Dr Boateng insisted.
From a global perspective, Dr. Boateng bemoaned how Ghana and other African countries were bearing the consequences of global warming despite contributing very little to the problem.
“Ghana faces the pressing development needs and significant financing constraints with every dollar invested in climate action coming at a high opportunity cost,” he observed.
He said the worrying aspect of climate change and global warming was that “the poorer you are, the more susceptible you are to the effect of climate change.”
He explained that developed countries who were contributing hugely to climate change rather, have systems in place that could combat global warming, while people in Africa and other developing countries endure the brunt.
Ghana’s economic and human development, he said, were vulnerable to climate change and that without prompt local and global climate actions, higher temperatures and heat stress would affect crops, livestock, labour, and productivity in general.
Dr Boateng further cautioned that more erratic rain patterns would damage infrastructure and buildings if concrete measures were not put in place to build climate-resilient systems.
GNA