Ghana hosts major climate research project to boost agriculture and livelihoods

Ghana is one of two countries in West Africa to host supersites for a major research to develop a comprehensive dataset for the next generation of weather and climate models.

Benin is the other country involved in the three-year project funded by the European Union at a cost of 7million euros.

Massive economic and population growth and urbanization are expected to lead to a tripling of human emissions in southern West Africa between 2000 and 2030. The impacts on human health, ecosystems, food security and the regional climate are largely unknown.

The Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa (DACCIWA) project, therefore, aims to provide “a comprehensive scientific assessment of the impacts of the projected rapid increases in anthropogenic emissions on air quality, human health, ecosystems, agricultural productivity, water availability, energy production and local to regional climate.”

The host of the project in Ghana is the Meteorology and Climate Science Unit of the Department of Physics at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where an intensive field campaign is underway to assess the impact of population growth on the climate.

“Local farmers are going to get better forecast products; they are also going to have direct interactions with experts and good scientific papers and policy briefs are expected to come to inform policy,” said Dr. Leonard Amekudzi, project scientist and a climate change and atmospheric scientist.

According to him, ground-based data from the soil to the top-elm atmospheric measurement will help understand the processes that are inducing the changes in the climate system over the entire region.

Climate change is a long-term shift in the weather conditions, caused by both natural and human factors that lead to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Arguably, the largest single source of uncertainty in the study of global climate change is the effect of aerosols on clouds.

The surface observations to be made at the supersites include a ceilometer to measure cloud top and base heights, a sounding system for launching balloons with radiosondes, a weather station and other instruments to measure surface radiometric properties and atmospheric composition.

Dr. Barbara Brooks of the UK’s National Centre for Atmospheric Science explains the research activity will ultimately lead to reduced uncertainties in climate predictions which impact on agricultural production, health and livelihoods.

“We do the measurement, we do the science; we then try to persuade the people who can actually made decisions – politicians – to do something, to put policies in place, so they can mitigate any changes that you see,” she said.

Climate change has emerged as the biggest global management challenge, affecting livelihoods, environment and economies.

Climate finance and technology transfer remain critical for vulnerable economies in Africa and other developing economies to survive the future.

The World Bank has warned that the current level of climate adaptation funding which is insufficient could trigger extreme poverty in Africa by 2030.

Without coping mechanisms in place, there will be lower crop yields, higher food prices and negative health impacts from climate change.

The comprehensive dataset from the proposed field campaign under the DACCIWA project provides a wide range of modeling activities that will help improve the monitoring of climate and atmospheric compositions.

The most important goal is to inform local stakeholders about the effects of rapid population growth on human and ecosystem health in southern West Africa.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

Sustainable Energy for All shifts gear to drive SDG7 and Paris Climate Agreement

Sustainable Energy for All is the global, multi-stakeholder platform that played a core role in putting universal access to modern energy services at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris climate agreement.

The platform is now shifting gear with a new five-year strategy that will drive action and deliver on those promises.

The Strategic Framework for Results 2016-21, titled ‘Going Further, Faster’, has been backed by the Sustainable Energy for All’s Advisory Board of high-level figures from the public and private sectors and civil society, co-chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim.

“The new Sustainable Energy for All strategy provides a powerful tool for delivering on the promises of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. Affordable, clean energy is the golden thread that links economic growth, increased social equity and a healthy environment,” Secretary-General Ban said.

Energy is central to social and economic well-being, yet 1.1 billion people have no access to electricity, while 2.9 billion have to cook with polluting, inefficient fuels such as firewood.

Without rapid progress on SDG7, which calls for “affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all”, it will impossible to deliver on other SDGs by 2030. At the same time, energy is the dominant contributor to climate change.

“To achieve universal access to clean, affordable energy we need to unlock hundreds of billions of dollars in finance,” said President Kim. “This can only happen if we take a truly innovative approach to building public-private partnerships and mobilizing investment. SE4All is well positioned to be a critical player in expanding access to clean and affordable energy to all.”

Meeting this dual challenge – reducing the carbon intensity of energy while making it available to everyone – requires a radical rethink of the way we produce, distribute and consume energy, and this is central to Sustainable Energy for All’s strategic approach.

“We will empower leaders to go further, faster by brokering partnerships and unlocking finance. This will help us secure an energy transition that is clean, affordable and just - because no one must be left behind,” said Rachel Kyte, Sustainable Energy for All’s Chief Executive Officer and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All.

The three objectives of SE4All are to ensure universal access to modern energy services; double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

The new strategy marks a turning point, building on Sustainable Energy for All’s strong advocacy role ahead of the SDGs and Paris Agreement to embark on a new phase where the emphasis is on helping partners to take rapid, tangible action on those agreements.

It states that “Sustainable Energy for All empowers leaders to broker partnerships and unlock finance to achieve universal access to sustainable energy, as a contribution to a cleaner, just and prosperous world for all”.

What we need to know about the changing climate

Climate change is the biggest global management challenge of the moment.

It has emerged as a major factor affecting people, livelihoods, environment and economies.

Climate change is a long-term shift in the weather conditions, caused by both natural and anthropogenic – human – factors that lead to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

The rate of future climate change depends on current and future human-caused emissions.

The effects of climate change – temperature rise/scorching sun and erratic but torrential rainfall – could be devastating on agriculture, water, forests, energy, biodiversity and health.

A drop in water levels of a hydro plant means a shortfall in energy generation; poor rains result in reduced crop production; excessive heat spreads bushfire and loss of plants and animals; diseases abound in heat and cold conditions.

Adequate responses to the changes in climatic conditions will involve a reduction in emissions – known as mitigation – to limit future threats, and also devising coping mechanisms – know as adaptation – to the unavoidable changes or impacts.

The impacts of climate change are compounded when illegal mining is allowed to thrive with its attendant destruction of land and water resources; when trees in forest reserves are fell with impunity; and when water bodies, wetlands and natural habitats are haphazardly compromised for urban development.

Everyone wants land in the city, not for farming but to build homes, offices, malls, among others.

Unfortunately, such development infrastructure becomes fragile as climate information in building bridges and other infrastructure is often amiss in urban development planning.

Knowing where flood waters will go when new projects are constructed in cities is critical to cope with the changes.

The recent Paris Climate Agreement offers opportunities for developing countries to efficiency adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Climate finance and technology transfer remain critical for vulnerable economies in Africa and other developing economies to survive the future.

However, local initiatives and actions will also be important to cope with the expected changes:

Water harvesting is a means to curtail flooding and improve urban air quality and adapt to climate change; Climate-smart agriculture will promote agro-forestry and ensure effective land and water management; Climate information surveys would be relevant to the agriculture and other sectors of the economy.

There are some measures and mechanisms to combat the devastating impacts of climate change but action, committed action is what is required for results.

Degradation can be reversed when land is sustainably managed:

Sustainable land management strategies and practices have the potential to increase the resilience of farmers and communities to climate change.

These practices include management of crops, livestock, forestry and rainwater to help conserve water and soil for increased food production and also reduction in emission of carbon dioxide and other harmful chemicals into the atmosphere.

One of the most important things to do for a secured future is to plant more trees than is currently harvested to allow for carbon sequestration to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh/ adomfeh@gmail.com

Ghanaian youth for environment reject clean coal myth

The Ghana Youth Environmental Movement (GYEM), together with its key allies, has asked the country’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reject the ‘clean coal’ myth preached by proponents of coal power plant.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) and Shenzhen Energy Group are pushing to get a 700MW coal plant up and running by April 2017.

The groups, including the Ghana Youth Climate Coalition (GYCC), Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO-Ghana) and Hipsters of Nature, believe any investment in coal will rather result in devastating environmental challenges, because coal is considered a major contributor to global warming.

In a petition to commemorate World Environment Day, the Movement stated that an attempt to establish a coal plant will give the impetus to importing coal pollution into Ghana.

“Designation of a technology as a 'clean coal' technology does not imply that it reduces emissions to zero or near zero. For this reason, the term ‘clean coal’ is misleading,” said a statement. “No clean coal technology, sufficient to cut emissions from current generators by up to 50 per cent, is economically viable at industrial scale or expected to become viable within the next five years”.

The groups have urged the EPA and the Ministries responsible for Energy, Power Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to put the interest of people and the environment first in all decision-making concerning the coal fired power plant project.

The coal power project is intended to contribute to addressing the power generation shortfall in Ghana to meet domestic and industrial demands.

But the Ghana Youth Environmental Movement wants Ghana to follow the global path of a transition from dirty energy to clean energy and rather invest in renewable energy to push forward the dictates of the Paris climate agreement.

“GYEM will continue to urge the EPA to be firm on its mandate and responsibility to protect the environment without compromising on the health of the people of Ghana and the integrity of our ecosystems,” it stated.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Drought-induced food price inflation contributes to cut in Africa’s economic growth

Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is forecast to slow again in 2016, according to the latest update of the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report.

The cut in growth is 2.5 percent from an estimated 3.0 percent in 2015, as commodity prices are expected to remain low, global activity is anticipated to be weak, and financial conditions are tightening.

The report says oil exporters are not likely to experience any significant pickup in consumption growth, while lower inflation in oil importers should support consumer spending.

However, food price inflation due to drought, high unemployment, and the effect of currency depreciation could offset some of the advantage as investment growth is expected to slow in many countries as governments and investors cut or delay capital expenditures in a context of fiscal consolidation.

The Bank’s global forecast for 2016 is down to 2.4 percent from the 2.9 percent pace projected in January. The move is due to sluggish growth in advanced economies, stubbornly low commodity prices, weak global trade, and diminishing capital flows.

According to the report, commodity-exporting emerging market and developing economies have struggled to adapt to lower prices for oil and other key commodities, and this accounts for half of the downward revision. Growth in these economies is projected to advance at a meager 0.4 percent pace this year, a downward revision of 1.2 percentage points from the January outlook.

“This sluggish growth underscores why it’s critically important for countries to pursue policies that will boost economic growth and improve the lives of those living in extreme poverty,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “Economic growth remains the most important driver of poverty reduction, and that’s why we’re very concerned that growth is slowing sharply in commodity-exporting developing countries due to depressed commodity prices.”

Commodity-importing emerging markets and developing economies have been more resilient than exporters, although the benefits of lower prices for energy and other commodities have been slow to materialize. These economies are forecast to expand at a 5.8 percent rate in 2016, down modestly from the 5.9 percent pace estimated for 2015, as low energy prices and the modest recovery in advanced economies support economic activity.

Among major emerging market economies, China is forecast to grow at 6.7 percent in 2016 after 6.9 percent last year. India’s robust economic expansion is expected to hold steady at 7.6 percent, while Brazil and Russia are projected to remain in deeper recessions than forecast in January. South Africa is forecast to grow at a 0.6 percent rate in 2016, 0.8 of a percentage point more slowly than the January forecast.

A significant increase in private sector credit – fueled by an era of low interest rates and, more recently, rising financing needs -- raise potential risks for several emerging market and developing economies, the report finds.

“As advanced economies struggle to gain traction, most economies in South and East Asia are growing solidly, as are commodity-importing emerging economies around the world,” said World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President Kaushik Basu. “However, one development that bears caution is the rapid rise of private debt in several emerging and developing economies. In the wake of a borrowing boom, it is not uncommon to find non-performing bank loans, as a share of gross loans, to quadruple.”

In an environment of anemic growth, the global economy faces pronounced risks, including a further slowdown in major emerging markets, sharp changes in financial market sentiment, stagnation in advanced economies, a longer-than-expected period of low commodity prices, geopolitical risks in different parts of the world, and concerns about the effectiveness of monetary policy in spurring stronger growth. The report introduces a tool to quantify risks to the global outlook and finds that they are now more tilted to the downside than in January.

“Flagging growth prospects in emerging markets and developing economies would slow or even reverse their progress in catching up to income levels of advanced economies,” said Development Economic Prospects Group Director Ayhan Kose. “However, some commodity-importing emerging and developing economies have been able to register steady or accelerating growth over the last three years.”

Audio Report: Powering African Economies with Nuclear Energy

Fossil and hydro sources of power are not enough to meet the energy needs of African countries.

Drought from climate change has adversely affected Africa's hydro power generation and the global quest for green and clean energy frowns on fossil fuels.

Nuclear power has a long-term advantage in energy security for developing economies and holds the answer to building mega cities in Africa.

But African countries say they are not in a rush in going nuclear because of the adverse effects if caution is not taken.

Nigeria and Ghana, for instance, have set targets of 2025 and 2029 respectively to get nuclear power in their electricity generation mix. 

But sustained funding for such energy investments could be a challenge.

In the following report, Kofi Adu Domfeh engaged heads of atomic energy agencies in Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya at the recent international forum on nuclear power, ATOMEXPO 2016 in Moscow, Russia.

Listen to report...

https://soundcloud.com/kofi-adu-domfeh-1/powering-africa-with-nuclear-energy 

Ghana makes progress with nuclear energy programme, says GAEC

The Ghana Atomic Energy Agency says the country is making headway in its nuclear power programme to help address the power generation deficit.

Director General of the Commission, Professor Benjamin Nyarko, says inspite of the programme’s benefits to the economy, there is no rush to compromise on safety standards.

“Nuclear is a long journey programme and the construction of the nuclear power plant itself takes between three and five years like any other plant like hydro but the development of the infrastructure which involves about 19 issues to address is what takes time,” he noted.

Ghana has been striving to meet the requirements since 2013, which includes adhering to international safety standards, especially in the management of radioactive waste.

The country’s roadmap with the International Atomic Energy Agency is to get a nuclear power plant as part of the energy mix by 2029.

Prof. Nyarko says the plan is on course to get the first nuclear power plant running in the next 13 years.

“If we double up and move faster, the time will be shorter than that because Ghana has a lot of experience in this area,” he noted.

Interest in nuclear energy is growing globally because it is clean and green with long term economic benefits.

African economies, suffering from electricity generation deficits to meet industrial and domestic demands, are exploring the nuclear option.

Ghana passed the Nuclear Regulatory Bill last year with the objective to provide the framework for the beneficial and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Russia is among other major international partners in the country’s nuclear infrastructural development.

The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission is already partnering Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) to construct two nuclear power plants to produce 2,400 megawatts of electricity in Ghana.

Officials from the Commission and the Ministry of Power took part in the ATOMEXPO 2016 in Moscow, Russia, to explore opportunities and partnerships in going nuclear.

But government’s recent attention to coal powered sources to the energy mix could impact on investments in nuclear energy to meet the set target.

There has been opposition to the coal option described as the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Prof. Nyarko believes the country stands to benefit most from nuclear power though and advocates a good energy mix to ensure energy security for Ghana.

“If we need about 20,000megawatts of electricity to push our industries and economy, then we don’t have to rely on only thermal or coal but we bring in all other energies that are available. But I think that nuclear energy can add cheaper energy for industrialization than any other sources apart from hydro and all our hydro resources are all gone,” he observed.

He also argued that nuclear energy offers the opportunity to grow greener economies and for Ghana to conform to the new Paris Agreement on climate change for countries to promote clean energy solutions.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh, reporting from Moscow, Russia

Nuclear Power as basis for Zero Carbon Energy Balance

The global energy balance in the coming decades will be impacted by the implementation of the recent Paris Agreement on climate change as well as the gradual but steady development of the environmentally-friendly power generation industry.

One of the main subjects considered at a major international forum on nuclear power in Moscow, Russia was the role of nuclear power in the generation of a reliable, economically predictable and environmentally safe power source.

The ATOMEXPO 2016 Forum, which attracted participants from over 50 countries, focused on “Nuclear Power as a Basis for Zero Carbon Energy Balance” to create a foundation for the development of effective information exchanges between state, private and public organizations, and to help scale today’s best green economic practices.

“In recent years the nuclear power industry has experienced fundamental changes; its influence on the international economy has increased and fundamentally new technologies and innovative solutions aimed at ensuring global environmental safety have been created,” said Sergey Kirienko, General Director of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM).

Uranium-fuelled nuclear power is considered a clean and efficient way of boiling water to make steam which drives turbine generators to produce electricity.

A proven advantage of nuclear power is its environmental friendliness – they do not emit harmful substances in the atmosphere during their operation and are totally free of greenhouse gas emission.

A properly managed nuclear facility does not directly contribute to atmospheric climate change – no carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury, or other toxic gases.

Uranium production, however, often evokes fear of exposure to high levels of radiation which could be deadly to human and animals.

A typical nuclear power plant generates 20 metric tons of radioactive waste annually, which must be isolated, transported and stored in remote locations for hundreds of years.

Safety and security in the development and management of nuclear technologies therefore becomes the first priority because it is the condition for the acceptance and development of nuclear energy.

“If safety cannot be guaranteed, then you should forget about nuclear energy,” noted Mr. Kirienko, whist emphasizing ROSATOM’s responsibility to guarantee the safety of its technologies.

“We need to develop an effective safety paradigm that increases genuine public wellbeing by reducing emissions from polluting sources, and ensures high nuclear safety standards are met,” said Agneta Rising, General Director of World Nuclear Association.

Comparatively, coal-fired electric power plants emit massive amounts of greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants to the atmosphere daily – creates over 300,000 tons of waste ash and sludge each year.

Amidst the challenges posed by climate change to the global ecosystem, interest in nuclear energy is growing because it is green with long term economic benefits.

“If you look at the clean energies, nuclear is even cleaner than the renewable – the most clean energy is hydro, followed by nuclear if you talk about the greenhouse emissions,” says Professor Benjamin Nyarko, Director General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC).

There are over 430 nuclear reactors operating in 30 countries providing about 11 percent of the world’s electricity. Majority of these reactors are in the USA but Russia is leading in support for infrastructure and technical aid.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is supporting countries to develop legal and infrastructural frameworks to establish nuclear power plants.

“I believe that appropriate consideration should be given to nuclear power in talks of climate change mitigation,” said IAEA Director General, Yukiya Amano.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh, reporting from Moscow, Russia