Kofi Adu Domfeh: Prayers for rain in LA and the call for climate action

People are praying for rain in Los Angeles, USA, due to California’ dry climate and the need for precipitation to sustain the environment, agriculture, and daily life.

 

Raging fires in the area have killed at least 25, reduced thousands of structures to ash and rubble, and displaced thousands. The fires are among the deadliest in California’s modern history.

 

Prayers for rain are a common practice in many faiths, seeking divine intervention to end droughts, replenish water sources, and bring relief to those affected by disasters.

 

In Los Angeles, prayers for rain are particularly relevant during the periods of heatwaves, when the lack of rainfall has exacerbated wildfires, impacted crop yields, and strained local water resources.

 

By praying for rain, individuals are not only seeking a practical solution to these challenges but also expressing their dependence on a higher power and their trust in its provision.

 

Though complex, there is a relationship between praying for rain in LA and climate change. Climate change has exacerbated droughts and water scarcity in California, making prayers for rain more pertinent.

 

Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and increased evaporation due to warmer temperatures have contributed to droughts in the region.

 

The prayers for rain can be seen as a response to climate-related stressors; a call for relief from drought's impacts and a recognition of human limitations in addressing climate change.

 

But there is the need not to divert attention from human actions contributing to climate change.

 

Ultimately, prayers for rain in LA reflect a desire for relief from climate-related challenges, while also highlighting the need for continued efforts to address the root causes of climate change.

 

The vulnerabilities of developing economies

Countries in Africa are currently experiencing varied weather conditions. In South Africa, there are warnings for veld fires in several regions due to high temperatures and dry conditions.

 

Temperatures are relatively mild in East Africa, but some areas like Mombasa, Kenya are experiencing warmer temperatures, reaching up to 81°F.

 

In West Africa, countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal are experiencing warm temperatures, ranging from 77°F to 91°F. For example, Lagos in Nigeria is at 82°F, while Kumasi in Ghana is currently at 91°F.

 

In Ghana, for instance, extreme weather events, like drought and flooding, are a significant concern. Though there is no such call for prayers as happening for LA, the impacts of the dry season are already telling.

 

Major fire incidents have been recorded in some major cities of the country in the first two weeks of 2025, and victims continue to count their losses.

 

Hot and dry conditions mean that if fires ignite, the chances of the blaze spreading are much higher and they are far harder to control.

 

Like other developing economies, Ghana is presently experiencing more frequent and severe droughts due to climate change, with serious impacts on agriculture, food security, and local livelihoods.

 

Ghana’s President, John Mahama, has observed “changes in climate conditions, increased population density in urban areas, and mass international travel are enabling existing viruses to spread and mutate at unprecedented rates”.

 

He believes “this is a serious issue”.

 

But Ghana’s climate change commitments have suffered the wanton destruction of forests and water bodies through unbridled illegal mining activities.

 

In 2020, Ghana faced direct economic losses from drought amounting to $95 million. Projections indicate that these losses could escalate to over $325 million annually by 2050 if climate and development actions are not taken.

 

The effects of droughts are far-reaching, from decreased crop yields and livestock productivity to increased competition for resources, social tensions, and violence. For instance, farmer-herder conflicts over arable land, water, and crop damage caused by trespassing livestock have led to destruction of property, armed robbery, and ethnic marginalization.

 

The effective implementation of the National Drought Plan will help achieve the goal of providing long-term solutions to land degradation problems and inform policymakers on drought situations.

 

Time for climate action

 

The realities of climate change stares in the face of people everywhere, but vulnerable people and communities are most at risk.

 

Scientists at the World Weather Attribution (WWA) found that climate-worsened disasters killed at least 3,700 people and displaced millions in 2024, a year to be remembered as being the first in recording more than 1.5C hotter than pre-industrial times.

 

The researchers said climate change had intensified 26 of the 29 weather events they studied during the year. They also found that people around the world experienced, on average, 41 extra days of dangerous heat in 2024 due to human-caused warming.

 

“The top resolution for 2025 must be transitioning away from fossil fuels, which will make the world a safer and more stable place,” said WWA’s lead Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science at Imperial College London.

 

According to him, the “unrelenting suffering” could be alleviated by halting the burning of coal, oil and gas, but instead use renewable energy to power economies, and adapt to climate impacts.

 

Perhaps the prayers for LA will be backed by climate action: real action to cut emissions from fossils, real action to commit to climate finance for vulnerable countries; real action for adaptation mechanisms to contain risky heat, devastating floods, rising sea levels and powerful storms.

 

Kofi Adu Domfeh is a Journalist and Climate Reality Leader. adomfeh@gmail.com

Why President John Mahama must keep an eye on the environment in ‘resetting’ Ghana

President John Mahama is on a mission to reset Ghana, emphasizing the beginning of a new opportunity to make a difference in the country’s governance and economic management.

 

“We shall reset Ghana,” he said in his inaugural address as the new President of the Republic. “We are a people buffeted by severe economic suffering and hardships. In the last few years, we have lurched from crisis to crisis. But there is hope.”

 

Ghana’s environment will perhaps be a major beneficiary if the new government succeeds with its resetting agenda.

 

The country’s forests and water bodies have suffered a great deal of destruction as the past government administration failed to fight the devastating activities of illegal and irresponsible mining.

 

Former President Akufo-Addo in his last state of the nation address acknowledged his party suffered the consequences of fighting against the illegal mining menace.

 

“The fight against galamsey led to the loss of several parliamentary seats by my party in the 2020 elections, which ultimately influenced the composition of the eighth Parliament. This, in turn, affected the implementation of my policy agenda and had a significant impact on my second term as President,” he said.

 

Ghanaian voices against illegal mining have been high and many want immediate action to stop the menace to restore the raped forests and polluted rivers and water bodies in the new government’s quest to reset the country.

 

As a matter of urgency, the Eco-Conscious Citizens want President Mahama to “declare a state of emergency - or issue an executive order - and remove all mining equipment and miners from our forest reserves and water bodies, and stop issuing licenses to mine in forest reserves”.

 

The four priority areas of President Mahama in his inaugural address did not stress on environmental sustainability, as he highlighted economic restoration and stabilisation of the macroeconomic environment; improvement of the business/investment environment to ensure Ghana's reopening for business; governance and constitutional reforms; and accountability and the fight against corruption.

 

The President, however, noted “with the increase of the climate crisis, and as the waters grow warmer, melting icebergs and permafrost, there is a greater likelihood for viruses that have been frozen and thought to be extinct for decades, perhaps even centuries, to spread and create a global pandemic”.

 

In drawing the concern closer home, Ghanaian environmental CSOs allude to the continued decimation of forest reserves and poisoning of water bodies and soils, and the consequence of a rise in kidney disease, cancers, neurological challenges, maternal deaths, still births, and deformed babies, especially in galamsey areas.

 

“A healthy nation will benefit from useful reforms, but an ailing, poisoned population in need of dialysis machines cannot provide a healthy, reliable workforce, and will be a strain on the health budget,” the group noted in a statement.

 

Essentially in Mahama’s First 120 Days Social Contract with the People of Ghana, there is the ambitious drive to “ban illegal and new mining activities in forest reserves; roll out our ‘Tree for Life’ and ‘Blue Water Initiative’ to heal and sustainably harness the environment by turning areas and water bodies degraded by illegal mining into economic and ecological recovery hubs”.

 

Perhaps, the government’s quest to reset Ghana will be seen in the fight against illegal mining, protection of forest reserves and water bodies, and promotion of best environmental practices.

 

“We need a reset, and we have faith in Ghana's ability to overcome, excel, and be so successful with this reset that it would be difficult to imagine a time when that was not the norm,” President Mahama has stated.

 

The environmental CSOs are already prevailing on the President “to consider transforming the National Cathedral grounds at Ridge, which has been described as ‘the world's most expensive hole’, to Accra Central Park and cause trees to be planted there, as part of your Tree for Life initiative”.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

COP29: Africa expected more in the new Climate Finance deal

After a frustrating two-week climate change negotiations, parties at the COP29 at Baku, Azerbaijan, finally reached a new deal in climate finance.

 

Known formally as the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), the new finance goal is to help countries to protect their people and economies against climate disasters, and share in the vast benefits of the clean energy boom.

The agreement will triple finance to developing countries, from the previous goal of USD 100 billion, to USD 300 billion annually by 2035; and secure efforts of all actors to work together to scale up finance to developing countries, from public and private sources, to the amount of USD 1.3 trillion per year by 2035.

 

"This new finance goal is an insurance policy for humanity, amid worsening climate impacts hitting every country,” said Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change. “But like any insurance policy – it only works – if premiums are paid in full, and on time. Promises must be kept, to protect billions of lives.” 

 

But it was not the deal Africa and other vulnerable regions hoped for. India, Bolivia and Nigeria rejected the deal after adoption.

 

Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), Ali Mohamed, did not hold back the group’s frustrations during the closing plenary, labelling the deal “too little, too late, and too ambiguous in its delivery.”

 

“At this COP, we achieved progress in some respects, but we appear to be regressing in others,” said Ambassador Mohamed. “Let it be clear that, the agreed figure of $300 billion per annum is an inadequate amount, which has to be reviewed in 2030 and revised upward in line with needs of developing countries.”

 

The two main contentious issues revolved around the quantum and mode of delivery, as the obligation aspect is clear in both the Convention and the Paris Agreement, placing responsibility on developed parties to provide climate finance.

 

However, developing parties left Baku frustrated as this responsibility was watered down in the agreed climate finance deal—it puts obligations on all parties, “with developed country Parties taking the lead,” and includes “a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources.”

 

With such language in the text, some experts believe this effectively kills the spirit of the climate convention, which clearly places obligations on developed countries to provide climate support based on their historical and current contribution to the climate crisis.

 

“Africa stands here with a sense of realism and resignation. Delivery of the aims of the Convention and its Paris Agreement remain deeply uncertain. We are realistic about the journey ahead. But let us remember that these commitments are not acts of charity. They are acts of survival, shared prosperity, and solidarity. Climate finance is not a handout – it is the moral and economic imperative of our age,” said the AGN Chair.

 

The “Finance COP” was Africa’s push to address the gap in adaptation needs and climate funding for vulnerable people.

 

However, the rich countries, known as the historical polluters most responsible for the climate crisis, focused almost completely on shifting responsibility to other growing economies.

 

For the Pan Africa Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), Baku remains one of the worst deals in the history of COPs, expressing fears developing countries are poised to sink deeper into debt as climate becomes a new source of debt as they grapple with rising development demands.

 

“The deal does not inspire hope for less developed countries who have suffered unjustly low access to climate finance due to their constrained fiscal space. And the problems for Africa do not end in the size of commitment,” said the group.

 

But COP29 President, Mukthar Babayev, believes “the Baku Finance Goal represents the best possible deal we could reach, and we have pushed the donor countries as far as possible”.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh