Ghana: Activity 1C Ghana My virtual profile

Environment   Sep 23, 2017 by Kelvin Sarpong

1. How does your footprint reflect the economy of your country, including its colonial relations?

My footprint reflects the economy of Ghana because it is affected by the goods and services that may be provided from the economy. For example,  my carbon footprint, 8.1, was much lower than the average carbon footprint in a country such as the United States, and as the United States have made more progress in terms of economic development, many of the citizens have access to goods and services that they may use without knowing the impact it has on the environment. To keep up its economic status, factories and buildings continue to pop up which continuously increases the carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. As Ghana is still considered a developing country, its economy is not as wealthy and developed as the US, which is reflected on the generally lower carbon footprint of the country.

2. How are the effects of climate change related with power imbalances among countries or within countries?

A country may be less economically developed, have less wealth and may emit less carbon dioxide, and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in general, however, they may suffer the effects of climate change more than a wealthier country that emits more greenhouse gases. For example, if a catastrophe, such as a drought  occurs as an effect of climate in a less economically developed country, the country might be heavily affected by this and might find it a very strenuous task to recover from. Even though it may not have been directly responsible for the climate change, it was the country that was heavily impacted. However, an economically developed country, which releases tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere may be barely affected by the climate change, and even if it is, the cost may be relatively  insignificant as compared to the less economically developed country. Therefore, as countries continue to develop, they must keep in mind that what they do to the environment not only affects them, but affects other countries in one way or the other

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