The Ghana Meteorological Service in collaboration with the Oti Regional Coordinating Council have launched The Green Climate Club at Dambai the forecourt of the Oti Regional Coordinating Council on Monday May 20, 2024.
A student advocacy group dubbed “Green Climate Club”, has been launched in ten Senior High Schools in the Oti region to tackle climate change and promote green climate and ensure environmental consciousness in the area. Read More
Speaking at the launch of the club on Monday 20th May 2024 in Dambai, the Oti Regional Minister, Daniel Machator, said President Akuffo-Addo introduced Green Ghana Day initiative in 2021 and the fight against illegal mining in 2017, as part of an aggressive national afforestation and reforestation programme to restore the lost forest cover of Ghana and to contribute to the global effort to mitigate climate change.
The Green Climate Club, the Minister explained is not merely an initiative but a beacon of hope, a promise of renewal, and a commitment to the health of the planet.
According to him, the club represents government’s collective resolve to confront the challenges of climate change head-on, with unwavering determination and innovative spirit.
“We stand on the fertile soil of Oti Region, a land that grows every crop in Ghana, graced by nature’s bounty and the industriousness of its people. It is here, in the embrace of the Oti Region, that we pledge to nurture a legacy of sustainability, to cultivate practices that respect the delicate balance of our ecosystem, and to foster a culture of conservation that will resonate for generations,” he stressed.
Mr Machator indicated that the Green Climate Club will serve as a platform for dialogue, a hub for action, and a catalyst for transformation and foster an engagement with the global environmental trends while staying true to align local values and customs.
Similarly, the Minister charged fishermen navigating the rhythms of the rivers and lakes, to be guardians of aquatic life, ensuring the sustainability of their practices to create a balance ecosystem.
Mr Machator tasked the Forest Commission, Wild life, Police and Ghana National Fire Service to arrest and prosecute anyone caught in the act of indiscriminate bush burning leading to wild fires during the harmattan season.
To him, the youth and students are the architects of the future and their ideas, energy, and vision will shape the world of tomorrow.
He entreated the members of the club to lead with courage to question with curiosity, and to act with integrity in the climate restoration initiative of the government spearheaded by the Ghana Meteorological Agency and Green Climate Club.
“Let’s remember that the environment we save today is the legacy we leave for the children of tomorrow. So, let’s unite under the banner of the Green Climate Club, forging a path of resilience and prosperity for a better green Oti Region,” he said.
For his part, Nana Kugbeadzor-Bakateyi II, said the Green Climate Club initiative is an intervention by the Ghana Meteorological Agency to heighten weather and climate education and advocacy in the face of the changing weather dynamics of the country.
This, he said will also serve as a platform in raising environmentally conscious leaders for the future that will focus on addressing the impacts of climate change and help devise ways to mitigate it.
“A total of ten schools in the region have been selected to participate in the regional launch on the theme: “At the Frontline of Climate Action” following which the climate clubs will be established in the selected schools,” he said.
He explained further that the directorate had carried out some programmes and activities in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders and would continue to leverage the experiences gathered and level of cooperation enjoyed from earlier stakeholders.
He reiterated the commitment of the directorate to provide its best possible technical and professional support to all stakeholders as is required.
The regional director was optimistic that the Green School climate clubs in the schools will discharge their duties to positively drive achievement of desired ends for our schools.
These clubs are expected to nurture a climate smart generation that is sensitive to climate change, and whose decisions are influenced by their impact on the climate and who are empowered to act on issues related to climate change, support SDG 13 and the nation’s socioeconomic development, the stakeholders mentioned.
The purpose for the establishment the clubs in high schools, according other stakeholders is to support every Ghanian child with the knowledge and understanding on climate sustainability and environmental development.
“This is one of the strategies Ghana Metrological Agency (GMet) is employing with the goal of spreading knowledge about climate change, adaptation and mitigation to the youth in fulfilment of urgent actions to combat climate change and its impacts,” they indicated.
