Kumasi, a Garden City failing to groom its green spaces

It’s Earth Day, and the rains have poured heavy early morning in the Garden City of Kumasi.

 

Such rains should come as soothing relief to residents of Kumasi. But many a community are not enthused with such downpour – more rains will result in flooding of homes, markets and streets in parts of Ghana’s second largest city.

 

The devastation of the recent phenomenon is real and discomforting to people.

 

But would Kumasi see its greens restored?

 

The theme for Earth Day 2021 offers a cue: “Restore Our Earth”, focusing on natural processes and emerging green technologies that can restore the world’s ecosystems.

 

 

A dysfunctional Garden City Model

 

The declining state of urban environments was one of the driving forces behind Ebenezer Howard's invention of the Garden City model in the late 1800s, as a way to preserve much of the natural environment while creating a blend of town and country or village life in an urban setting.

 

Kumasi is one of the few cities in Africa where the Garden City model has been implemented. The British developed a development plan for Kumasi in 1945 that adopted the common Garden City model of the time, allocating a large portion of the city's land area to green spaces.

 

These green spaces refer to both public and private open spaces in urban areas that are largely protected by natural vegetation and are accessible for human use directly or indirectly.

 

Urban parks, gardens, trees, woodland, wetlands, and green belts were examples of such spaces in Kumasi at the time. The city's subsequent growth followed a similar trend, with many green spaces retained in the physical landscape. In the 1960s, this circumstance earned the city the title of "Garden City of West Africa."

 

However, due to excessive urbanization and physical alteration of the green vegetation – indiscriminate tree felling, degradation of wetlands, and unsustainable infrastructure growth – Kumasi is losing its green vegetation at an alarming pace.

 

The sad tale of Kumasi journalists planting trees in vain

 

In May 2019, journalists in the Ashanti region undertook a massive coconut tree planting at a wetland bordering the Subin River at Danyame in the Kumasi Metropolis.

 

Planting along the waterlogged area was the group’s contribution to climate action and to help check perennial flooding of the area at every rainstorm.

 

During the exercise, concerns were raised about unrestrained cutting down of trees, with a call for residents, traditional and local authorities to stay vigilant to the environmental havoc.

 

But soon the very trees planted by the journalists, together with over 1,500 plant species, were cleared on the wetland for a construction project.

 

The Ashanti Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) demanded compensation for the destruction of its project. But that is all the group could do.

 

The GJA was disappointed as the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly claimed it had not authorized any developer to carry out a project at the area.

 

The space is currently cordoned to ward off encroachment.

 

Destroying the King’s trees with impunity

 

In June 2019, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, declared his commitment to plant and manage 2.5 million trees around Lake Bosomtwe, the only natural lake in Ghana.

 

The five-year landscape restoration project, covering 4,000 hectares, is in line with the King’s move to provide protection for water bodies in Asanteman.

 

“The project is envisioned to contribute to Ghana’s environmental protection efforts, contribute to the fight against climate change, contribute to Ghana’s pledge to the Bonn Challenge as well as improve tourism around Lake Bosomtwe,” the Asantehene said.

 

Under the project, three fringe communities on the Lake Bosomtwe Basin – Amakom, Adjaman and Atafram – planted hundreds of trees in the buffer zones of the Lake in commemoration of the 2020 International Day of Forests and World Water Day.

 

But in less than a year after the exercise, a private developer encroached the buffer of the tourist site to wreak havoc. He cleared trees planted along the Lake and destroyed the spawning areas where the fishes lay their eggs.

 

Such is the spate of impunity in killing a healthy balance between biodiversity conservation and its sustainable use.

 

Sadly, the destruction of green spaces in Greater Kumasi is often motivated by the selfish interest of traditional leaders, regulatory agencies and local government authorities.

 

Restore the Garden in the City

 

The destruction of urban trees has resulted in the degradation of the environment.

 

Over the past two decades, there have been several projects initiated by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to green the city. But most of these have remained mere rhetoric.

 

In 2014, the KMA embarked on the Urban Forestry project with a target of planting one million trees along highways, open spaces and school compounds. But the goal of restoring the city’s Garden City status by 2017 could not be achieved.

 

Under the current Keep Kumasi Clean and Green project, the KMA says over 100 thousand trees have been planted along water bodies and ceremonial streets.

 

But is the beauty of the flora and fauna of the city invisible?

 

The Importance of Green Spaces

 

Studies show green spaces in a city can save lives. They help lower air temperatures and boost well-being.  

 

As a result, there is an increasing understanding of the significance and value of urban green spaces in cities. Conserving green spaces in the physical environment of cities – parks, gardens, and forests – has been described as an activity that contributes to city sustainability.

 

However, certain obstacles must be resolved in order to preserve such spaces, and this has received little attention.

 

Urban sprawl is very common, resulting in a significant loss of green vegetation on the city's outskirts. Kumasi now lacks much greenery, which runs counter to the city's original garden city model.

 

Overcoming the "physical" obstacles to urban green spaces would help to ensure their long-term viability in Kumasi.

 

Conflicting ownership rights, encroachment, and inadequate maintenance have been identified as major physical obstacles to the creation of urban green spaces and are factors impeding Kumasi's greening.

 

To improve the quality of urban green spaces, the city authorities should prioritize the preservation of green vegetation, with an effective green space plan in place to direct the creation of the city's green spaces.

 

There are suggestions for the construction of additional parks and gardens, the development of brownfield sites into green spaces, and the institutionalization of a green space award scheme.

 

In order to foster a positive attitude toward green space management in Kumasi, intensive public education is needed.

 

In addition, agencies responsible for the maintenance of green spaces in the Kumasi Metropolis are advised to follow environmental bylaws, physical planning codes, and standards.

 

Perhaps, the spirit of Earth Day 2021 will spur interest groups to act in restoring the greens of Kumasi to regain its ‘Garden City’ accolade.

 

The writer, Kofi Adu Domfeh, is a Development Journalist, Environmental Advocate and Climate Reality Leader adomfeh@gmail.com

Earth Day: nations asked to think green in Covid-19 fight

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has called on African states to give the Covid-19 pandemic a greener look and attempt to juggle the two crises with sincerity.

In commemoration of Earth Day, the PACJA Executive Director Mithika Mwenda said it would prove difficult in the long run for states to spend so much on mitigation of the Covid-19 pandemic but forget climate change, which has claimed many lives in Africa.

He referred to news that at least 48 people had been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, after it rained only once.

In Kenya, landslides claimed at least 12 lives overnight after flash floods. Many parts of the country have suffered flooding, and thousands displaced.

As the world marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Mithika said it would be key for governments to help their people, including the indigenous communities that interact with nature more closely, to conserve them by ensuring the green climate fund reaches the grassroots.

He said there were adequate legislations to ensure climate actions, but countries were lacking in implementation.

The climate justice activist also indicated that the Covid-19 and climate crisis were two dangerous evils running at different paces but killing masses all the same.

“Coronavirus is running a short 100 metre race, while climate change is on a marathon. At the end of the day both will have killed huge numbers and messed our economies,” he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres linked the global coronavirus recovery to the climate change crisis in a sharply worded message marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

In a video address, Guterres urged nations to take advantage of the deep economic disruptions caused by the pandemic "to do things right for the future" by viewing it as a chance to move away from fossil fuels.

Calling the health crisis "an unprecedented wake-up call," the U.N. chief warned "there is another deep emergency -- the planet's unfolding environmental crisis."

Citing a decline in biodiversity, Guterres said climate disruption "is approaching a point of no return."
"We must act decisively to protect our planet from both the coronavirus and the existential threat of climate disruption," he said.

Guterres called for an end to fossil fuel subsidies and urged governments to instead funnel recovery money to "sustainable sectors and projects that help the environment and the climate."

Mithika regretted that the UNFCCC’s COP25 did not achieve much on climate action in Africa, and urged that the African Group of Negotiators prepares well and employs better tacks to ensure UN climate summit COP26, which has been pushed to 2021, achieves more on tangible issues.

The COP26 was scheduled to take place in Glasgow, Scotland in November.

“Climate change is foreseeable and we can do something to avert much. If we did the right thing in good time, there would be enough space for us to focus on emergencies like Covid-19,” said Mithika.

The situation, Mithika said, was scary for developing countries as a lot of donor countries were busy grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic in their own countries.

“Right now everyone is inward looking and we can only beg. Why can’t everyone do their part on climate action? We must think green, on a wider scale that would also include employing agriculture in a magnitude that can ensure food security for any African and poor nation,” he said, adding that conservation of every living thing’s habitat would offer peace of mind to all.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

Over 500 new city actions featured on UN Climate ambition portal

To coincide with Earth Day, over 500 new city actions, showcasing a wealth of inspiring climate action, are being featured on a UN-hosted website, with the aim of building momentum for the upcoming global climate agreement in Paris.

Actions and targets, communicated by cities ranging from Amsterdam, Rio de Janeiro to Yokohama, range from increases in energy efficiency and deployment of renewables to green procurement and adaptation action.

The Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action (NAZCA) portal <http://climateaction.unfccc.int/> was launched last year at the UN climate change conference in Lima by Manuel Pulgar Vidal, President of COP20.

It is demonstrating the sheer wealth of climate actions of key non-state actors including municipalities, regions and investors in order to inspire others to raise their ambition in support of the new universal climate agreement.

Cities produce around 70% of energy-related emissions and their activities to reduce these while building resilience are crucial for supporting governments as they publish and prepare their climate plans for the coming years and decades.

Many cities are also highly vulnerable to climate change, especially those on or in the vicinity of coastlines: while many have also seen the link between combating climate change and transforming the urban infrastructure and environment into a healthier and more economically dynamic place.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the the UN Climate Convention (UNFCCC), said:  “Nations will come together to sign a universal agreement on climate change at the UN Climate Conference in Paris in December. By demonstrating action on NAZCA, cities can support and catalyze ever higher ambition by governments while signaling their determination to be part of the transformation towards a healthier, safer and more secure world. We are grateful for the collaboration with CDP, the carbon Climate Registry, the Compact of Mayors and others, and we look forward to showcasing more climate action from cities in the future."

Cities Setting Science-Based Targets

Many of the cities who have submitted information to the portal are showing leadership by setting science-based targets to ensure that the world will stay below the internationally agreed limit of a maximum 2 degrees Celsius global average temperature rise.

According to the best available climate science, the world needs to peak global emissions in the next decade to successfully address climate change, triggering a deep de-carbonization of the global economy.

For example, Boston intends to reduce community-wide CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050 over 1990 levels through building retrofits, renewable energy sources, on-site renewable energy installations and better waste and industrial pollution management.

Jakarta intends to reduce CO2 emissions from government operations by 30% from 2005 to 2030 through sustainable building standards and retrofits, energy efficient lighting, solar-powered streetlights, and landfill gas capture and power generation.

The city data presented on the NAZCA portal was reported to CDP’s cities program <https://www.cdp.net/cities> – which forms part of CDP’s global environmental reporting system – and the carbonn Climate Registry <http://carbonn.org/>.

CDP and the carbonn Climate Registry are established, credible sources with a strong track record of reporting and tracking progress that the NAZCA portal draws data from. In particular, their regular reporting cycles will enable future progress on actions to be updated to NAZCA in the future.

The Presentation of City Data Part of Wider Showcasing of Climate Actions from Non-State Actors

The cities being featured are part of an ongoing process to showcase climate actions from non-state actors. In the run-up to the UN climate change conference (COP 21) in Paris, information on climate actions from cities, businesses, investors and subnational regions will be continuously
added to the NAZCA portal.

Many of these actions are happening in partnership with governments, organizations and international bodies, including the United Nations. Three such actions joining NAZCA today are the Compact of States and Regions, the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, and the Compact of Mayors.

Michael R. Bloomberg, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Cities and Climate Change said, "Cities are helping to lead the way in addressing climate change. I congratulate the cities making their pledges public and transparent through the Compact of Mayors and NAZCA. It's a crucial step
that will help show nations that setting and achieving ambitious climate goals really is possible."

The Portal is also showcasing several inspiring initiatives under the Lima-Paris Action Agenda. The agenda is designed to catalyze action on climate change by governments and non-state actors before 2020, when the new global agreement is to take effect, and after 2020.