The government has warned that climate change could drive at least one million more Ghanaians into poverty by 2050 if stronger adaptation and resilience measures are not urgently put in place.
Issifu Seidu, Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, said the growing effects of climate change were already being felt across agriculture, health, infrastructure, and livelihoods.
Speaking at a High-Level Technical Convening on Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) in Accra, the Minister said Ghana and other African countries were facing severe consequences from a problem they contributed little to creating.
He noted that climate-related displacement, food insecurity, flooding, and extreme heat were becoming more common across the continent.
According to him, northern Ghana is already experiencing increasing heat-related deaths, while health systems are struggling with rising cases of heat-related illnesses, vector-borne diseases, and malnutrition.
“Flooding and extreme weather events are damaging infrastructure and disrupting economic activity,” Mr Seidu said.
He explained that despite Ghana’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through policies such as its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and plans to raise renewable energy use to 20 per cent, the global response to climate change remains inadequate.
The Minister said global emissions continue to rise even after the Paris Agreement, with 2024 temperatures exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
He added that projections from the United Nations Environment Programme suggest the world could warm by as much as 2.8 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
Mr Seidu said the gap between international climate promises and real action continued to threaten progress made by countries like Ghana.
He also addressed growing discussions around Solar Radiation Modification, a climate intervention approach that seeks to reflect sunlight away from the Earth to reduce warming.
While Ghana and many African countries remain opposed to the use of SRM because of its risks and uncertainty, he said it was still important for the continent to understand the concept and participate in global discussions on the issue.
The meeting in Accra brought together diplomats, scientists, researchers, and policy experts from across Africa to examine the potential impacts, opportunities, and risks associated with SRM and climate change more broadly.
