Climate change
Climate change threatens our survival on the planet, but the case of some countries and regions may be worse. What makes the case of Ghana more worrisome is the fact that the effect of climate change on Ghana is grave and her level of adaptation is weak.
The earlier we start to slow climate change the more we lessen the environmental, social and economic cost of climate change.
At TRACTOR we believe that helping people realize the effects of climate change, informing them (on the causes, effect, and how to mitigate the effects of climate change), and getting them involved is the sure way to reduce the effects of climate change.
We do this through advocacy, lobby, promotion and support for initiatives that help to slow climate change.
Effects of climate change
Food Crises: Droughts, reduction in agriculture lands, crop failure, death of livestock, food shortage, high food prices, malnutrition, famine and hunger, poverty, high mortality rates as a result of prolong starvation.
Lose of livelihoods and the consequences of poverty and hunger for Small holder farmers, subsistence farmers, fishers, and herdsmen.
Cereal production may reduce in low latitude areas and other regions.
Floods, droughts, and shortage of Water: Increased water availability and floods in moist tropics and high latitudes, decreased water availability and droughts in mid- latitudes and semi-arid low latitudes,
Hundreds of millions of people and animal would experience water shortage.
Health Problems: malnutrition, diarrhea, cardio-respiratory as a result of air pollution and high temperature, and infectious diseases are likely to increase. There is also the threat of increased morbidity and mortality from ailments, heat waves, floods, and droughts
Threat to coast, coastal communities and infrastructure: there may be floods and storms resulting in damage and destruction of coastal cities and communities. Additionally, coastal wetlands may be destroyed.
Depletion of the Ecosystems:: Plant and animal species may go extinct, and others would be redistricted and relocated. There is also the threat of Coral bleaching and coral mortality leading to the reduction in fish stock. There may be wild fires destroying forests, vegetation and farms, or cause harm to life and property
Causes of Climate Change
The emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere causes climate change. These greenhouse gases include:1
Carbon Dioxide or CO2, is the main contributor (77%) to climate change or the most significant greenhouse gas released by human activities into the atmosphere. This is mostly through the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas used for industrial energy, electricity generation, and transportation. Naturally plants (farms, vegetation, and forests) absorb carbon through a process called photosynthesis where the plants serve as sinks to reduce carbon emissions, but, the absence of plants increases carbon emissions.
Methane or CH4, is produced in large quantities by grazing cows and other livestock. Methane is also released when vegetation is burned, digested or rotted with no oxygen present. Landfill or Garbage dumps (the gas emissions are the result of decomposing waste in oxygen free condition), and rice paddies release methane.
Nitrous oxide or N2O can be found naturally in the environment but human activities are increasing the amounts. Nitrous oxide is released when chemical fertilizers and manure are used in agriculture. Depleting of forests and the burning of fossil fuels also emit Nitrous Oxide.
Halocarbons are a family of chemicals that include CFCs (which also damage the ozone layer), and other human-made chemicals that contain chlorine and fluorine.
Water vapour is also a common greenhouse gas.
Carbon dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous contribute about 99% of all greenhouse gases. The quantity of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere differs from country to country, this depends on the activities in a country or region.
Mitigating the climate change
The following can help reduce the activities of climate change
- Practicing sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and organic farming methods, helps reduce emissions by about 12.5%
- Using energy efficient vehicles, driving less and using public transport, helps reduce emissions by about 14%
- Using less energy, increasing energy efficiency in homes and workplaces, helps reduce emissions by about 21.3%
- Building houses or offices with more ventilation for air and natural light, and using less light and air condition, helps reduce emissions by at least 10.3%
- Using LPG instead of charcoal or firewood and planting more trees, helps reduce emissions by at least 10%
- Switching from coal to cleaner gases, or renewable energy, helps reduce emissions by about 11.3%
- Consuming industrial products that are or from environmentally-friendly industries, helps reduce emissions by at least 16.8%
- Reducing waste, re-using or recycling compost reduces emissions by at least 3.4%
TRACTOR Approach
At TRACTOR we believe that helping people realize the effects of climate change, informing them (on the causes, effect, and how to mitigate the effects of climate change), and getting them involved is the sure way to reduce the effects of climate change.
Feel the effects, get informed and get involved strategy.
1. Feel the effects of climate change: The unaware public is challenged and inspired through empirical evidence, documentary videos and pictures of the effects of climate change.
2. Getting informed: The public is educated and informed on climate change, the various causes and effects, and they are encouraged to choose where they can best make an impact to mitigate or slow the effect of climate change.
3. Getting involved: Having informed and cultivated the interest of the public, they are encouraged and resourced to help mitigate climate change.
Our advocacy, lobby, promotion and support programmes include:
Organising public awareness programmes on climate change
Lobbying factories and industries to use cleaner energy and use energy efficient systems
Promoting and supporting tree planting exercises
Supporting farmers to recycle their waste for use as compost
Promoting and supporting sustainable agriculture, biodiversity and organic farming which reduce the activities of climate change.
Mitigating climate change through biodiversity and organic farming
TRACTOR promotes biodiversity and organic agriculture methods and support small-farm holders to help mitigate climate change. Organic agriculture is a holistic agricultural production management system, which increases yield whiles improving agro-ecosystem.
Biodiversity and organic farming emphasizes the use of natural methods of production and the integration of scientific knowledge. It avoids the use of toxic chemicals and pesticides, thus reducing the quantity of harmful carbon-dioxide released into the atmosphere.
Mixed farming, inter-cropping, tree-crops, cover crops, free range animal farming, and the use of organic fertilizers (including manure and fodder) and minimum tillage increase the activities of soil enriching endangered species, invertebrate, earthworms, symbionts and microbes. This practice induces soil formation, recycles nutrient and energy, ‘stabilizes the soil against erosion and floods, detoxifies ecosystems and contributes to the carbon sequestration potential of soils.’ 2 The practice also makes for the development of genotypes of many plant and animal varieties.
These practices help reduce biodiversity loss and help to effectively mitigate the effects of climate change.
1-Climate Change (2007): Youth Guide to Action. Toronto: TakingITGlobal
2-FiBL. 2000. Organic farming enhances soil fertility and biodiversity. Results from a 21-year-old field trial. Research Institute of Organic Farming (FiBL), Frick, Switzerland, Dossier no. 1, August 2000.