Climate Change & COP-15

Last night wasn’t a good for me as I had to deal with the heat that came about as a result of power-outage. Opening the windows for fresh air means, I’m opening the heavens-gate for the mosquitoes. I thought twice and just had to deal with it by sleeping in the heat.

Finally, I saw the early morning sun rays penetrating through the window at about 0534 which signified, it was morning. Come see my face. I can now open the windows for fresh air at least. Thinking the power was back; I switched on the light and to my utter dismay power was not restored. How on earth am I going to press my shirt for work? I had to cook up a plan B. [Wear a T-shirt and a pair of jeans] also allowed though.

I hear residents in Accra always experiencing the power problem every now and then without any info from the Electricity Company of Ghana. I witnessed it myself when I visited last weekend. For close to about 8hrs, power was off and we had to get fuel for the gen-set. What happens when other families in Ghana have no gen-you’re your guess is as good as mine. [They stay in the dark and their perishable items get bad…]

Do you all know that, power shortages are a real inconvenience to the regular Ghanaian? How would you describe the shortage amongst Ghana’s growing entrepreneur class?

I was very shocked to hear on the news about the uncontrollable power outages and the resultant load shedding exercise that hit the country a couple of years ago has started again. What at all are The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCO), the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Volta River Authority (VRA) doing about this menace? According to the reporter on the radio, he said the recent power outages were due to some technical hitches at the various ECG and GRIDCO sub-stations. Can we believe this story?

These power-outages have on most occasions, caused fire outbreaks in homes and had obstructed the smooth flow of individual businesses which depend on electricity. How do these businesses survive this low-shedding again?

Climate change in Ghana has become a threat to livelihoods. Drought and over flooding in parts of the Northern Region of Ghana has become a yearly worry to the people and government. People along the banks of the Volta River are constantly displaced, homeless and landless.

In the South particularly aquatic life is affected as a result of human activities and sea level rise that pollutes water bodies and the main economic activity which is fishing drops and this has affected the income levels of the people. The climate change impacts in Northern part of Ghana results in severe draughts in the...

With all the above flashing in front of me each and every time the issue of climate change is brought up, I’m always looking out for ways I can help. I was beyond joy this morning after going through my email to see; “The Official Invitation Letter” from the organizers of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) also known as COP-15 inviting me to be part of Climate Change conference which begins from December 7 – 18, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

I have been approved of a stipend for my trip and currently awaiting media accreditation and other documents to enhance my visa acquisition at the Danish Consulate in Accra. Whiles at the conference, I shall be presenting my own Ghana Blogging Group, the Global Voices Community and other youth who couldn’t make it Copenhagen to raise a voice against Climate Change. I shall be very glad to be a part of this conference as we sign a deal to fight global warming NOW.

I will be updating my followers/readers and the entire Ghana Blogging Group from Copenhagen via my blog and through my twitter updates at MacJordaN. Follow me for me more updates on Climate Change.