A GNA Feature by Florence Afriyie Mensah
Kumasi, Nov. 11, GNA – Air pollution remains a pressing challenge worldwide, with serious implications for food production, environmental health, and human well-being.
Did you know that in 2021 some eight million people worldwide died from air pollution related diseases?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 90 per cent of West Africans breathe polluted air.
In 2019, it reported that more than 28,000 people in Ghana died from air pollution-related infections.
Diseases including asthma, diabetes, kidney and lung infections, inflammation and breast cancer could be caused by polluted air.
Effects
Air pollution, particularly from short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) such as methane, black carbon, and tropospheric ozone, poses significant threats to agriculture, ecosystems, and public health.
In crops, air pollutants like tropospheric ozone and black carbon directly damage crop yields.
Ozone, formed through the reaction of other pollutants like nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), penetrates plant tissues, reducing photosynthesis and overall productivity.
This damage is particularly severe in staple crops like wheat and maize, where yield losses can exceed 10 per cent in heavily polluted regions (Clean Air Fund, 2024).
Additionally, black carbon deposits on soil and plants hinder sunlight absorption and further compromise crop growth (Climate and Clean Air Coalition, 2024).
Air pollution accelerates climate change and disrupts ecosystems. Methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, contribute to global warming, while black carbon affects ice and snow cover, accelerating melting in polar regions.
The deposition of these pollutants on water bodies also alters aquatic ecosystems, causing biodiversity loss and reducing the health of habitats essential for agriculture and wildlife.
In communities near agricultural fields where crop burning or fertilizer overuse occur, the incidence of asthma and other respiratory conditions is significantly higher (Clean Air Fund, 2024).
Research and efforts made in Ghana
Realising the dire consequences of air pollution, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) spoke with some researchers and experts on measures to reduce the incidence on human health, agricultural productivity, environment and the socio-economic development of Ghana.
Professor Leonard Amekudzi, the Provost, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), says a team from the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science are working tirelessly to develop an air quality index for Ghana.
“We are looking forward to forecast air quality for the country and have, therefore, brought the Ghana Meteorological Agency on board, who are providing weather information,” he said.
He said air quality varied diurnally (increases as a result of solar radiations), which meant there were times it would be high.
“If there is an index, one will know when to go to a densely populated area to run businesses… Is it best I go in the morning or later in the day,” he asked.
Memorizing the dire effects of air pollution, the Provost indicated that after the impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic, it was believed that the next pandemic would be caused by air pollution, a silent killer, which caused shutdowns in systems and also responsible for millions of premature deaths worldwide each year.
Prof. Amekudzi said human activities, including burning of refuse, use of non-clean sources of energy for cooking, industrial pollution, rapid urban growth, vehicular traffic and illegal mining activities continued to affect the quality of air.
Mr Desmond Appiah, Clean Air Fund Country Lead, told the GNA that per the available data from some districts to the Clean Air Fund within Accra, the top three causes of diseases or visitations to hospitals for the past decade have been air pollution related cases (respiratory diseases, asthma, diabetes).
“There is also enough research from around the world to show that air pollution is minute to enter the blood particulates and “once any pollutant enters the bloodstream, it means it can go to every part of the body, and so every organ of the body is at risk”.
The Country Lead indicated that fetuses (unborn children) were somehow exposed to air pollution and much attention needed to be given to this problem and people made more aware of the “global silent killer”.
Mr Appiah says it is not only during the harmattan season that people should assume that the air was polluted, the problem could occur any time and day.
What was needed was enough data and information, he indicated, adding that the Air Fund was promoting collection of data using sensors, which was helping to establish the basis.
Per the data collected in Ghana, the Particulate Matter (PM) levels is about 5-10 times on average the standards set by the WHO.
The Clean Air Fund was, therefore, working with the KNUST to institute a programme on air quality and prevention to enhance knowledge sharing on finding solutions to air pollution.
Dr Kwaku Onwona-Hwesofuor Asante, a Researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Crops Research Institute (CRI), said despite the challenges, various strategies were being implemented globally to combat air pollution and promote cleaner air, especially within agricultural contexts.
Initiatives like the Agroecology and Circular Economy for Ecosystem Services in Sub-Saharan Africa (ACE4ES) project focusing on integrating sustainable agricultural practices that reduce reliance on chemical inputs and minimise emissions were being implemented by CSIR-CRI in Ghana.
Dr Asante said to quantify and monitor emissions, the ACE4ES Project and other institutions are investing in advanced technology, such as trace gas analyzers, to gather data on pollutants.
Despite these efforts, he noted that the financial support for air quality interventions remained inadequate.
Reports indicate that clean air projects receive only one per cent of international development funding and three per cent of global public climate finance.
Low-income countries, which bear the brunt of air pollution’s impact, often receive minimal financial support (just $2 per person compared to $73 in middle-income nations) according to the Clean Air Fund.
Recommendations
Dr Asante suggested that promoting organic farming, crop rotation, and waste recycling (e.g. biochar production) helps to reduce methane and black carbon emissions.
Such practices also enhance soil health and sequester carbon, contributing to both food security and emission reduction efforts.
To close the funding gap, there is an urgent call for increased grant-based funding and equitable resource distribution.
By leveraging international cooperation and innovative financing models, such as green bonds and results-based funding, donors and governments can accelerate the fight against air pollution and safeguard the health of vulnerable communities worldwide and consequently tackle the challenges associated with climate change.
GNA