Travel Report

The Climate Parliament delegation, during its stay in Brussels, met with Ambassador Laurence Tubiana, Ms Jutta Urpilainen, Commissioner for International Partnerships of the European Commission, MEPs, MPs and other European officials, and reported about the work that they are doing to tackle the climate change threat in their respective countries and the efforts that are being employed to advance the transition to renewable energy.

With regards to Ghana, the climate change challenge is accelerating the spread of violent extremism and terrorism across the Sahel, which is one reason for its paramount importance in terms of National Security Strategy of the country.

The Climate Parliament inspired the creation of a Ghanaian national Climate Parliament Group, which currently constitutes more than sixty (60) members who are also MPs and who are working assiduously with their constituents to attain climate change goals in their respective constituencies. Particularly important to mention is the fact that these goals do not only include the reduction of CO2 emissions, however, they also include raising awareness and creating change of behavior with their constituents.  

There are several acts, regulations and guidelines that govern operations within the renewable energy sector in Ghana. Some examples include The Energy Commission Act 1997 (Act 541) which is a general act that was passed to govern the transmission, sale, distribution and wholesale supply of electricity. Furthermore, The Renewable Energy Act 2011 (Act 832), which is climate change specific, is the primary legislation for the development, management, utilisation and adequate supply of renewable energy for the generation of heat and power and for other related matters. Implementing a general law that would guide in achieving climate change related goals would unite all existing acts relating to energy.

To answer the question if there are measures put in place to promote and develop renewable energy in Ghana it was pointed out that there are indeed numerous incentives for the promotion and development of renewable energy which include Duty and VAT exemptions for imported industrial or energy plant, machinery or equipment and imported solar panels and all off-grid solar system components respectively. Other measures and incentives include the Renewable Energy Fund, the mandatory purchase policy, the amendment of the Renewable Energy Act and the Renewable Energy Masterplan.

As part of reducing the carbon footprint of her constituents, Hon. Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings illustrated the example drew on her example of the market women who sell freshly cooked food and smoked fish at the Osu Night Market, a very popular tourist attraction in Accra. Previously, the ovens used to prepare the meals emitted thick black smoke into the environment. This was due to the fact that the operation of these ovens required a lot of charcoal and firewood which exposed the market women to smoke, further causing respiratory diseases in the women. Furthermore, due to inefficient stoves and ovens traders also spent a significant amount of their earnings on charcoal and wood daily. In a bid to reduce the carbon footprint and improve the life of women and their children and to transform the Osu Night Market into an eco-friendly one, the old cookstoves and smoking ovens were replaced with new clean and nearly institutional cookstoves with four chimneys and three fish smoking ovens with chimneys, respectively, to direct the smoke away into the atmosphere. The results indicated an improvement in the air quality of the market and a reduction in carbon monoxide. This project shows that a reduction in carbon emissions is a tangible goal and that the Klottey-Korle constituents now contribute to reducing the carbon footprint.