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GHANA AND UNESCO 65 GHANA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO Introduction Although climate change is not a new phenomenon, in this present age, it has taken the centre stage in the development agenda of both the developed and developing countries. This is, perhaps due to the compelling evidence which roll in by the day sup- porting the existence of the phenomenon, making it dif- ficult for countries that are conservative when it comes to climate change issues and some climate change deniers to openly ignore it. Climate change simply refers to increase in the average global surface temperatures caused mainly by anthropogenic increase in concentration of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), in the earth’s atmosphere. Throughout history, the earth’s climate has varied, sometimes very significantly. This is caused by natural mechanisms including: • continental drift which has changed the features of the earth’s landmass, their posi- tion and the position of water bodies, and consequently changing the flow of ocean currents and winds; • large volcanic eruptions which throw out large amounts of sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ), water vapour, dust and ash into the atmosphere which could influence climate pat- terns for years; • orbital variations which can affect the severity of climate seasons (e.g., summer, winter, harmmattan); • changes in atmospheric composition which can lead to global warming; and • ocean circulation. Except for volcanic erup- tions, climate variations caused by natural mechanisms are slow and sometimes take millions of years to happen, by which time the earth’s systems would have adjusted to the change. Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in Ghana By K. Kankam-Yeboah Research Scientist B. Amisigo Research Scientist E. Obuobi Senior Research Scientist CSIR Water Research Institute
Transcript of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in · PDF fileClimate Change Impacts on Water...
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IntroductionAlthough climate change
is not a new phenomenon,in this present age, it hastaken the centre stage in thedevelopment agenda of boththe developed and developingcountries. This is, perhaps dueto the compelling evidencewhich roll in by the day sup-porting the existence of thephenomenon, making it dif-ficult for countries that areconservative when it comesto climate change issues andsome climate change deniersto openly ignore it. Climatechange simply refers to increasein the average global surfacetemperatures caused mainlyby anthropogenic increase in
concentration of greenhousegases, particularly carbondioxide (CO2), in the earth’satmosphere.
Throughout history, theearth’s climate has varied,sometimes very significantly.This is caused by naturalmechanisms including:
• continental drift which haschanged the features of theearth’s landmass, their posi-tion and the position of waterbodies, and consequentlychanging the flow of oceancurrents and winds;• large volcanic eruptionswhich throw out large amountsof sulphur dioxide (SO2),
water vapour, dust and ashinto the atmosphere whichcould influence climate pat-terns for years;• orbital variations which canaffect the severity of climateseasons (e.g., summer, winter,harmmattan);• changes in atmosphericcomposition which can leadto global warming; and• ocean circulation.
Except for volcanic erup-tions, climate variations causedby natural mechanisms areslow and sometimes takemillions of years to happen,by which time the earth’ssystems would have adjustedto the change.
Climate Change Impacts onWater Resources in Ghana
By K. Kankam-YeboahResearch Scientist
B. AmisigoResearch Scientist
E. ObuobiSenior Research Scientist
CSIR Water Research Institute
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Causes of presentclimate change
Today’s climate change,however, is caused by recentincreasing trend in carbondioxide emissions into andconsequent increase in tem-perature in the earth’s atmos-phere. This situation can beattributed to human indus-trialization process that beganin the 1750s, as shown in thetwo (2) graphs from NASA(Figure 1) and CDIAC (Figure2). Over the past 40 years,human activities such asburning of fossil fuels forenergy and transportation,changing land use, defor-estation, land clearing, oildrilling, coal mining andagriculture have acceleratedthe release of CO2 into theatmosphere, way beyond therate of release from naturalprocesses. This has therebyspeeded up the warming ofthe earth within a short periodof time, to the extent that theearth’s systems are increas-ingly unable to adapt.
Climate change impactsClimate change holds
possible threats to all coun-tries of the world; some ofthe threats are already beingexperienced. They include sealevel rise, increased frequen-cies of extreme weather eventssuch as floods and droughts,
scarce and poor quality of freshwater resources, moisture stressor excess leading to poor cropyields, loss of biodiversity,poor health conditions andincreased risk of contractingwater related diseases. Eventhough large amounts of theCO2 emissions come fromindustrialized countries suchas the USA, Canada, Europeand Russia and fast devel-oping countries such as Chinaand India; the impact is mostfelt by the poor in developingcountries, particularly in Africaincluding Ghana. There is alsothe consensus that climatechange will hit agriculturehardest. Again, developingcountries will be the mostaffected since their economiesare heavily dependent onagriculture, which is largelyrainfed.
How is climate changeimpacting in Ghana?
There is no doubt that theclimate in Ghana has changedsignificantly with impacts
being felt everywhere in thecountry. Studies conductedby the CSIR Water ResearchInstitute (CSIR – WRI) in 2000,under the United NationsFramework Convention onClimate Change (UNFCC) andco-ordinated by the Environ-mental Protection Agency
(EPA), showed that, there is:• 1°C increase in temperatureover a 30-year period fromthe historical records,• increased evaporation,• decreased and highly vari-able rainfall pattern, and• frequent and pronounceddrought spells.
Another study led by EPAin 2008 on “Ghana ClimateChange Impacts, Vulnerabilityand Adaptation Assessment”reported that, over the past40 years (1960-2000), averageannual temperatures havebeen rising steadily in 5 of the6 agro-ecological zones ofGhana. This trend is projectedto continue into the future.
The impacts of the risingtemperatures are alreadyhappening. These include:• the drying of some riversin the dry season which werehitherto perennial rivers,• more intensive rainfall eventssuch as the rainfall and floodevents of 23rd April 2008 and24th June 2009 in parts of
Accra (Fig. 3) that wreckedhavoc on life and properties,• frequent events of drought(e.g., the drought that ledto power rationing in 2006),due to low levels of water inthe Akosombo dam,• floods, such as the onethat occurred in 2007 which
Fig 1 - Comparison of atmospheric CO2 before and after the industrial revolution.
(Source: NOAA).
Fig 2 - Global CO2 emission from 1751 (beginning
of industrial revolution) to 2006.
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affected about 332,600 peopleand caused the death of 56persons in the Upper East,Upper West and Northernregions and parts of Westernregion, and• unpredictable weather,especially late start of therainfall season and or shorterrainy season. All these areevidence of the impact ofclimate change in Ghana.
In northern Ghana, forinstance, high temperaturesthat were previously recordedin March (peak of the dry sea-son) are now being recordedalso in January. The start ofthe rainy season has becomemore difficult to predict. Inthe past, the rainy seasonstarted in April and endedaround late September orearly October. However inrecent times, the rainy seasonstarts in June or July withextreme heavy rainfall inSeptember or October, oftenresulting in floods that destroycrops, life and properties orending abruptly and resultingin drought conditions (Fig. 4).
With projected averagetemperatures showing a risingtrend, the impacts of climatechange are likely to be moresevere in the future. Studiesdone by the InternationalFood Policy Research Institute
(IFPRI) show that, even thoughfood prices in Ghana will risein the near future, climatechange will make it worse.The price of rice that is pro-jected to increase by 60 %without climate change couldgo up by as much as 121 %due to climate change. Pricesof maize are projected toincrease by up to 153 % in2050 with climate change,instead of just more that 60 %without climate change.
Consequencesof climate change forwater management
Studies at CSIR-WRI showthat even without climatechange considerations, Ghanais predicted to become a waterstress country by 2025. In theface of increases in the fre-quency and severity of extremeweather events in the future,it is most likely that climatechange will worsen future
water scarcity in many placesin the country. Frequent floodshave the potential to wreckhavoc on expensive waterinfrastructures for domesticwater supply, irrigation andhydropower generation. TheCSIR-WRI 2000 report onclimate change and waterresources estimated:• a general reduction inannual river flows in Ghanaby 15-20 % for the year 2020and 30-40 % for the year 2050,• a reduction in groundwaterrecharge of 5-22 % for 2020and 30-40% for 2050,• an increased irrigation waterdemand of 40-150 % for 2020and 150-1200 % for 2050,• a reduction in hydropowergeneration of 60 % for 2020and,• by the year 2020, all riverbasins will be vulnerable andthe whole country will faceacute water shortage.
Under climate change,the quality of freshwater in
rivers and other water bodieswill also be impacted nega-tively as the expected increasedfloods would carry pollutantsinto water bodies, restrictingtheir use and putting furtherconstraint on water availabil-ity to meet growing demand.Women and children will beaffected the most as they willhave to spend more time trav-elling longer distances insearch of good quality water.
Fig. 4
Drought
resulting
in loss
of cereal
harvest in
Bolgatanga,
Upper East
Region
(2006).
Fig. 3
Flooding in
Accra
(April 2008).
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Climate change comeswith great challenges for watermanagement in Ghana andcertainly, adaptation andinnovative management willbe a necessary response. For,instance, water managersmay be required to changedesign criteria of water facil-ities, planning and allocationdecisions, to incorporate theimpacts of climate change.The general perception in thepopulace that water is aninfinite resource would alsohave to change through masseducation on water utiliza-tion practices.
Need for continuousresearch on climate change
Similar to else where inthe world, the need for con-tinuous research on climatechange and water resourcesin Ghana cannot be over-emphasized. Water is life andfundamental input for manysectors of Ghana’s economyand therefore any impactof climate change on waterresources has a direct impacton the economy of Ghana.It is important, therefore, thataccurate assessment of theimpacts of climate change isperiodically carried out toinform appropriate choice ofadaptation options whichare then accounted for inthe development agenda ofgovernment.
Accurate assessment ofclimate change in Ghana isfaced with challenges. It is awell known fact that thescience of the climate in WestAfrica including Ghana is notwell understood, comparedto other areas of the Africancontinent. As a result, theGlobal Climate Models (GCMs)of the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change(IPCC) produce varying pro-jections for rainfall change
over the West African area.While some models projectwet conditions for the future,others project dry conditions;any of them is plausible. TheIPCC scenarios of global situ-ation in the future (the socalled story lines), upon whichclimate projections are madewith GCMs, are revised fromtime to time to reflect currentknowledge generated in thescientific community. As partof the IPCC and the worldscientific community andgiven the uncertainty regard-ing the prediction of theWest African weather, it isonly proper that researchon climate change in Ghanais continuous so as to takeadvantage of the new knowl-edge that becomes availablefrom time to time, and torevise the choice of adaptationoptions, which then feedsinto government’s agenda.
Support from governmentand development partners
The government of Ghanahas very strong interest inclimate change issues and isworking through the researchinstitutions, universities andministries to address the chal-lenge. The World Bank isleading a major country casestudy on Economics of Adap-tation to Climate Change(EACC) in Ghana, amongothers. The study will helpinform the debate in the inter-national community on eco-nomic issues related to adap-tation, as well as contributeto advancing the methodologyof linking climate impactmodels and economic modelswithin a coherent frame-work for evaluating policiesrelated to climate change.The United Nations agenciesthrough frameworks such asthe UNESCO ParticipationProject, International Hydro-logical Programme (IHP) and,
Intergovernmental Oceano-graphic Commission (IOC)are supporting various pro-grammes and projects toquantify the impacts, iden-tify appropriate adaptationoptions, assess economic costof adaptations and incor-porate the adaptations inits development agenda ofthe country.
Current research at CSIRWater Research Institute
Against the back dropthat climate change researchneeds to be continuous, theCSIR-WRI in 2009 and withsupport from the GhanaNational Commission (GNC)for UNESCOunder the UNESCOParticipation Project starteda study on “climate changeeffects on hydrology and waterresources and adaptationstrategies in Ghana”. Amongother objectives, the studyseeks to:• assess the vulnerability ofrainfall and river flows toclimate change in selectedriver basins, and• recommend appropriateadaptation strategies forcoping with water stress underchanging climate.
The goals are to:• document the evidence ofhydrologic effects of climatechange in Ghana;• improve the awareness ofpolicy makers and otherstakeholders on the conse-quences of climate changeon water resources;• scientifically support thepreparation of an action planon climate change for thecountry; and,• contribute to adaptationstrategies to climate change.
The proposed study is acontribution to the Main Lineof Action 1 of 34/C5 Activ-ities of Major Programme II
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(Natural Sciences) of UNESCOand the Theme 1 of Phase VIIof the International Hydro-logical Programme (IHP).When completed, the studywill be an update to the surfacewater hydrology componentof the climate change studydone by the same institutein 2000.
ConclusionThere is broad scientific
consensus that the climateof the earth is really changingand the earth is becomingwarmer due largely to anthro-pogenic emission of green-house gases, especially, CO2.If nothing substantial is doneto slow down the fast warmingof the earth, future climatewill no longer be the sameas the past. Much of the CO2
emission that is changingthe earth’s climate originatesfrom the industrialized coun-
tries. However, the negativeimpacts of climate changesuch as droughts and floodsare most felt in developingcountries, Ghana being noexception. We therefore needto put in place appropriateadaptation measures to dealwith the impacts of climatechange.
The water sector in Ghanais one major area that is andwill be impacted by climaticchange and therefore waterplanners and managers canno longer rely only on pastclimatic conditions for thedesign of water facilities,water allocation, planningand management decisions.Improper land and water usepractices should be curtailedby the enforcement of nationallegislations and traditionalrules on water resources, as theknowledge base in climate
change and its impact isdeepened and sustainableadaptation are sought forthrough research.
Considering the uncer-tainties that surround cli-mate change studies and theimportance of accuratelyquantifying the impacts ofclimate change and there-fore choosing appropriateadaptation measures to beincluded in government’sdevelopment agenda, it isonly right to say that climatechange research, and for thatmatter scientific research ingeneral, needs to be contin-uously supported by all. It isin this light that the supportfrom UNESCO through theGhana National Commis-sion for UNESCO to the cur-rent study at the CSIR-WRIis very much appreciated.
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The Pan-African Workshop on “Decision-MakingSupport for Coastal Zone Management, Water Resourcesand Climate Change in Africa” was held in Cotonou,Benin, from 15-17 February 2010.
The event was a joint initiative of, inter alia, theGlobal Ocean Observing System in Africa (GOOSAFRICA)sponsored by the Global Ocean Observing System(GOOS) of the Intergovernmental OceanographicCommission (IOC) of the UN Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (UNESCO), the InternationalHydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO, the GEOCoastal Zone Community of Practice (CZCP) and theAfrican Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment(AARSE). The African regional institutions, the UnitedNations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the AfricanLarge Marine Ecosystems Commissions and programmesare also key partners and sponsors of the Workshop.
Participants included marine, water, climate andenvironmental scientists and resource managers, fromAfrica and elsewhere.
One of the workshop’s objectives was to focus onidentifying gaps in capabilities of Earth observationsystems, as well as scientific and research infrastructuresneeds, to respond to concerns surrounding modelingof coastal oceans, water resources and climate changein Africa while addressing socioeconomic issues andfostering capacities for decision making. The eventincluded a high-level Governance Forum, which provideda venue for African leaders to consider frameworks foraddressing critical water issues in Africa, as well as toassess the results and implications for the economies andpopulations of Africa subsequent to the CopenhagenClimate Change Conference.
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Decision-Making Support for Coastal Zone Management,Water Resources
and Climate Change in Africa
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