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oHow does the Role of International Aid in solving the climate crisis (UNFCCC theme) relate Ghana?
- It relates to Ghana because Ghana, being a developing country, is one of the more vulnerable countries when it comes to climate change. Also, because it is on the coast, it has already seen some of the effects that climate change can have. Because of this, it needs support from international aid to solve the crisis. Besides financial and technological aid, it would need aid in forms of education and training. Most people in Ghana are unaware of climate change and its implications; therefore, such support is desperately needed to improve the situation.
oHow does it relate to our collaborative pairing with students from Canada?
- Canada is a developed country that is working hard on its sustainability. Also, it has incorporated Ghana into its DECCMA program, where it hopes to support Bangladesh, Ghana, and India. In general terms, the situation in Canada is very different to the situation in Ghana because different things are at stake. Because Canada is known for its cold climate, the warming temperatures would completely throw it off balance. Entire ecosystems and species would be affected; for instance, the polar bear is already coming closer to extinction as the ice and snow melts earlier and more drastically. International aid has a different role in Canada because they are one of the primary donors rather than receivers, being an economically developed nation.
oWhat is the current state of the Role of International Aid in solving the climate crisis?
- International aid has many forms that it can take when dealing with the climate crisis. It may come in monetary aid (funding), education and training (raising awareness, strengthening capacities, local community can build a sustainable future), resources (in terms of the climate crisis, technological resources such as green energy technology), etc.
oWhat strategies to combat climate change do you think are best/worst for Ghana?
- Because it is not economically developed enough to fend for itself and rely on self-help in solving the climate crisis, international aid may be necessary. However, it should not solely come from funds, as that would not be a sustainable way to proceed in the crisis. Instead, the best way would be for local communities in Ghana to receive education and training in sustainable development, green technologies, entrepreneurship, and general awareness of the situation and how individuals can contribute in solving it. The government definitely needs to make some binding decisions and plans regarding cut backs in greenhouse gas emissions. There should also be an implementation of environmental programs, such as recycling. The worst strategy would be for Ghana to ignore the crisis and focus on building the economy by unsustainable production, which may be tempting because of the lower costs associated with it (as opposed to green energy).
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1 Comment(s)
Thank you for your detailed and to-the-point answers.
I really enjoyed reading them.
I would also like to highlight some points in your answers. As you correctly mentioned, the international aid to Ghana should contain different aspects: 1) financial aid; 2) technological development; and 3) education and training. In my view, the latter is the most important one since any big change and dominant development starts with public awareness and individuals involvement. However, it can really helpful for Ghana to receive international aids in terms of funding in order to recover from the crisis caused by the climate change. Ultimately, building more sustainable infrastructures such as renewable and clean energies, advanced recycling systems, etc. will help Ghana to perfectly contribute in solving the climate change problem. In the first place, this will help Ghana itself. Also, it will definitely benefit other nations if most of the developing countries like Ghana contribute to solve this global problem.
As you also mentioned, the situation is completely different in Canada since the public awareness on the environmental concerns is already in an acceptable level (as also reflected in the recent election!). Furthermore, Canada's energy sector benefits as one of the world's cleanest electricity generation systems thank to its very dominant hydro electricity generation (as a clean resource of energy compared to the coal and gas generation) by more than 50% of its total generation (as, for instance, compared to more than 70% electricity generation from the coal and gas in USA) [1]-[2]. Therefore, Canada can better contribute in the second theme (technological development) as it has already started to develop its infrastructures toward even more sustainable and more clean systems by enormous budgets in the research and great subsidization in the clean industry [3]-[6]. These statistics somehow highlights Canad's international role in the climate change issue.
Finally, I would like to suggest two comments to make your valuable answers even better. First, it is better to reference some of your statements (such as "Also, because it is on the coast, it has already seen some of the effects that climate change can have [?].", Also, it has incorporated Ghana into its DECCMA program, where it hopes to support Bangladesh, Ghana, and India [?]. and more). Obviously, you have read the resources provided and may be some other resources, but it would be more valuable if you can cite them in your answers. Second, I personally like bringing some numerical statistics to bold the mentioned facts. So, if you also like it, it is better to add some numerical evidences.
[1] http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cf...
[2] http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/subject-sujet/theme-them...
[3] http://powerforthefuture.ca/vision-2050/
[4] http://canwea.ca/wind-energy/installed-capacity/
Masoud Shabestary (Ualberta Mentor)
Oct 28, 2015