Air pollution causing major health burden, but given little attention  

Diseases caused or exacerbated by air pollution including heart disease, stroke, asthma, lung cancer and dementia are increasingly straining health systems, says a Former World Health Organization (WHO) official.  Dr Soumya Swaminathan, a  Former Chief Scientist at WHO, in her foreword captured in the State of Global Air Quality Fund 2023, a Clean Air Fund latest report said…

Environment Nuclear Emission: Nuclear plant to cut-back eight million tonnes of fossil fuel emission

The introduction of the country’s first nuclear power plant into the generation mix has the potential to significantly reduce emissions by several million tonnes – a source of air pollution that negatively impact human health and ecology. Close to two-thirds of Ghana’s electricity is generated with either natural gas and light crude oil – which…

Eco tax ‘good’ but, must be progressive to achieve targets – Experts

The government’s quest to levy petrol and diesel vehicles owners GHS 100 annually is a good initiative but must be progressive to encourage timely maintenance and reducing emissions. Mr Desmond Appiah, Ghana Lead for Clean a Fund told the Ghana News Agency, “By progressive I mean there should be an emission standard where vehicles in…

Innovative new businesses tackle Ghana’s growing plastic menace

This time of year has always been a nightmare for Mavis Adjare. Seasonal floods have been disruptive for the 45-year-old who makes her living collecting plastic waste and selling it to recyclers. This year that has changed. Mavis picks 100 kilogramme bags of plastic waste easily here at the confluence of the Kpeshie River and the…

Health crisis in Ghana’s fishing industry: Women face dangers from smoking fish

Ghana’s fishing industry serves as the lifeblood of its economy, offering livelihoods to two million people, equivalent to one in every 16 Ghanaians. Artisanal fishers, spanning from Aflao to Cape Three Points, contribute significantly by supplying eighty percent of the nation’s consumed fish. However, within this vital industry, experts highlight a particularly perilous aspect: the…

Breathing to death    

Stephen (not his real name) is a security officer with one of the utility companies in Accra. He grieves that his days are certainly numbered.  Understandably, a robber can terminate his life any day. But that is not the source of his anguish, it is the very air he breathes to keep his job.    …

Air Quality: Makola, Agbogbloshie among five polluted hotspots in Accra 

Results from improved air quality monitoring in Accra have revealed that Nima, Makola, Agbogbloshie, Chorkor and Madina Zongo Junction are the five most polluted hotspots in Accra.  These areas have recorded the most consistently poor-quality air standards over the period, with their sources mainly being soot from open waste burning and emissions from vehicles.   Professor Kofi Amegah, the Breathe…

Clean Air: Ghanaian MPs spearhead legislation to tackle rising pollution

Three MPs are leading an ambitious charge to address the escalating air pollution affecting the nation. With a private members bill in the works, they aim to elevate clean air as a fundamental human right amid Accra’s rapid urbanisation and the surge of pollution from various sectors including transport, industry, and agriculture. While government has…

River Cess the Latest Flashpoint in Clashing Laws over Land

VONDEH TOWN, River Cess – The people of this area celebrated in 2019 when a forestry company began operations here. The five-year Social Agreement signed with the company, African Wood and Lumber, an Italian-owned company, was supposed to deliver the community US$5,000 each year in scholarship funds, US$15,000 in land rental fees, two feeder roads,…

Liberia’s Fragile Wetlands are in Crisis

Across the world people are experiencing different impacts from rising global temperatures. Governments are racing to protect natural environments that will help stop the worst changes.But with Liberia’s fast growing population, more and more people are moving to coastal cities, especially Monrovia, looking for means of survival.That is putting a pressure on one of Liberia’s…

Buchanan Seaside Communities Beg for Rock Wall to Protect Them from the Sea

Coastal erosion caused by climate-induced rises in sea levels and intense tropical storms have already destroyed the homes of hundreds of Liberian families and put critical fisheries at risk. Nine of the country’s fifteen counties sit along the sea coast putting 60 per cent of the population at threat and causing tens of millions of…