World Vision Ghana (WVG) has called on the government to take urgent action in implementing environmental and climate policies to address the growing climate crisis in Ghana.

The Faith Development Coordinator of WVG, Mr. George Matey Okorley,who made the call at a two-day training workshop on Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action (ESCA) in Accra, also highlighted the alarming temperature rise in Ghana. 

He stated that the country’s temperature had already increased by 1.2°C over the past century and was projected to rise between 1.5°C and 3.0°C by 2050. 

Workshop highlights

Mr Okorley noted that the Northern regions—Upper East, Upper West, and Savannah were already experiencing the most significant increases.

The workshop, themed “Stewarding Our World through Media Engagement" aimed at equipping journalists with the expertise needed to enhance climate reporting and advocacy while deepening national conversation for behaviour change and advocacy.

Mr Okorley mentioned that 2024 was one of the warmest years globally, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), and warned that El Niño conditions in 2025 could further impact Ghana’s rainfall patterns. 

“Rainfall has declined by 2.3 millimetres(mm) per decade since the 1960s, leading to prolonged dry seasons and unpredictable weather patterns. The increasing frequency of heavy rains also results in severe flooding in cities like Accra and Kumasi due to poor drainage systems,” he explained.

Coastal Erosion

Touching on coastal erosion and rising sea levels, he warned that Ghana’s coastline was experiencing an annual sea level rise of 3.1mm, leading to land loss and displacement in communities such as Keta, Ada, and Cape Coast.

"Government must ensure that climate policies are not only created but effectively implemented to protect vulnerable communities and mitigate the worsening climate crisis.

On air and water pollution risks, he said 100 per cent of Ghana's population was exposed to air pollution levels exceeding World Health Organisation (WHO) limits.

"Accra's PM2.5 levels are 3 times higher than WHO safety guidelines as 17,000 deaths per year in Ghana are linked to air pollution" he said.

World Vision

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.