"The beginning of the end..."

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Welcome to my final post! We've been looking at water and development, the ways in which it is managed, and some potential issues which may occur in the future. I have been hinting at environmental change... and finally, we're going to discuss it now.

Firstly, what is environmental change?
: anthropogenic and natural processes leading to physical changes in the environment as well as in the climate, which leads to increased variability in surface water, rainfall and soil moisture (Taylor et al., 2013).

Ways in which Ghana's climate may change include:

  • Changes in annual rainfall, as well as changes to the temporal and spatial pattern of rainfall (Carter and Parker, 2009) (Figure 1). This can be from phenomenon such as as El Niño-Southern Oscillation and La Niña- which can effect global temperatures and precipitation due to the changes in trade winds effecting moisture being transferred within the atmosphere.
  • Seasons may change, in terms of length, start date and end date of rainy days, which is driven by West African Monsoon and Harmattan (Agodzo et al., 2023). This has a direct impact on agricultural production.
  • Sea level rise due to global warming, destroying coastal communities preventing development within the Volta estuary as land is being claimed by the sea (Anim et al., 2013).

Figure 1: The predictions of precipitation and drainage levels across Africa from 20th to 21st century (De Wit and Stankiewicz, 2006). 


These environmental changes can lead to:

  • Poverty eradication not being possible, due to climate changes and associated water scarcity risks (De Wit and Stankiewicz, 2006).
  • Groundwater usage may fail. Failures in hand dug wells may occur from inter-annual fluctuations being misunderstood, or larger boreholes could be dug prematurely after a rainy season and water levels will be too high to pump water after influx of water from the rainy season has been used- leading to over abstraction which is unsustainable (Lutz et al., 2015). 
  • Dams will be more liable to flooding, loosing water from evaporation due to warmer climates and as a standing source of water they can lead to diseases spreading through already vulnerable communities (Ampadu et al., 2015).
  • Saltwater intrusion to groundwater sources will render them unusable- this happens if storm surges flood wells or if groundwater is extracted down to sea level.
      

The discussed challenges will halt development. So, what are we going to do? COPs are held annually to assess how effective measures have been in limiting climate change- but are they useful? Or is it the 'beginning of the end?' Employing hydrological modelling to prepare for the future, through estimates of precipitation patterns and water storage levels. However, there is significant issues with a lack of data over time due to lack of funding or equipment damage. Similarly, as mentioned in the last blog groundwater needs to be included in water scarcity metrics to gain a more accurate visual of how much water a country has access to and how it can be used.

 

Comments

  1. Jethro Yang5 January 2024 at 02:00

    I like how you defined environment change, and how environmental change is being addressed at the COP. I was wondering what types of reforms or agreements have been made at COP28 combating climate change specific to the African context?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beth Tanner5 January 2024 at 12:29

      Thank you for the question Jethro, it is interesting! One of the main things to come out of the last COP was the 'Loss and Damage Fund', which is the first attempt to be reparations to climate vulnerable countries who have felt the who have not been big polluters themselves. It has always been up for debate considering nations such as the UK have been pushing for renewable energy in all countries, while being a developed nation with the GDP to do so, and having already begun the transition. Countries who have only recently been able to begin to generate 'clean' energy do not have the capabilities to do so immediately. Also, why should they be taxed and have to spend so much money to fix a problem which they didn't contribute that much to? This fund (if it is granted and money is given to these countries within Africa) is a way to bridge the gap between countries who are already established within the renewable energy sector and those who are not.

      Delete
  2. David13 January 2024 at 12:11

    Great insights on environmental change and its impact on water management in Ghana. Your analysis of changing rainfall patterns, sea level rise, and their effects on agriculture and groundwater is particularly impactful.

    Question: What are the key strategies you recommend for Ghana to adapt to these environmental changes and sustainably manage water resources?

    ReplyDelete

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