By Alexander Nyarko Yeboah, GNA
Tema, Jan. 26, GNA-The Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) has introduced the Ahotor Oven fish-processor designed to reduce the rate of emission of gases in to the atmosphere, Mr. George Dzeto, TMA Deputy Director of Budget, Local Economic Development and Climate Change has stated.
The Assembly after careful analysis of operations of fishmongers and their likely impact on climate change observed that the use of Chorkor Oven as fish-processor was inimical to the protection of the environment as it emitted a lot of gases into the atmosphere hence the need for the more improved Ahotor Oven.
Mr Dzeto stated during a community dialogue on the contributions that it was expected of citizens and governments towards the reduction of the effects of climate change on national life at Tema.
The dialogue organized by Climate Action Network (CAN) was on the theme, “Strengthening community voices to drive the climate change agenda,” given the opportunity to the community members within the Tema Metropolis to talk about the impact climate change was having on their livelihood.
Speaking on the importance of Tema in the climate change debate and what the assembly was doing to mitigate climate change, Mr Dzeto said the peculiar characteristics of Tema as a harbour, an industrial city, and a coastal district had a lot of effects on the climate.
Mr Dzeto said the TMA had adopted measures to protect the environment and aside from dealing with pollution from the Chorkor Oven, it has embarked on an aggressive tree planting exercise, which was a necessary means of bringing gas emissions down.
“So as an assembly, we also embarked on a massive tree planting exercise, which was enhanced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s Green Ghana agenda,” he stated.
He said TMA had rolled out a lot of sensitization programmes to inform community members to be mindful of the negative effects of tree felling and had gone ahead to make tree felling a punishable offence.
He said, “tree planting is now part of the requirement for the issuance of building permits within the metropolis”.
Mr Dzeto said the assembly had also tasked the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to ensure that the long trucks that transported goods from the harbour were in good conditions to avoid emitting gas into the atmosphere.
In his remarks, Mr Robert Amiteye, who Moderated the dialogue observed that the effects of climate change were mostly felt at the community level, and therefore strengthening the voices of community members was a sure way of combating it.
Mr Amiteye, therefore, called on governments across the globe to appreciate the need for climate justice, which would ensure that the ordinary people within the various communities of the world did not suffer unduly.
“A lot has been said by world leaders, Civil Society Organizations among others, it is time for community members to strengthen their voices and there was also the need for a collective effort towards a responsible action by each member of the community.
“We believe that together we can fight this and reduce global temperatures so that it would be able to sustain our time and that of future generations,” he said.
Mr Amiteye said, “We are talking about responsible consumptions, redefinition of our needs so that the world would be sustainable to take care of other generations and for governments and people to be innovative to come up with greener ways of addressing climate challenges.”
GNA
