Ghana must resort to diplomacy to benefit from climate funding – Murtula

Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, the Minister-Designate for the Ministry of Environment, Science, and Technology, has called for a diplomatic approach to ensure Ghana continues to benefit from international climate funding.

Speaking during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Thursday, January 30, Murtala highlighted the importance of collaboration and strategic engagement with donor countries, especially in light of growing uncertainties surrounding global climate agreements.

The Minister-Designate expressed concern over the United States’ decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement under former President Donald Trump. He described this move as a setback for global climate efforts, considering the U.S. position as one of the largest contributors to international climate initiatives.

Murtala cautioned that the U.S. withdrawal could set a worrying precedent, potentially encouraging other nations to abandon their commitments under the agreement. He warned that such a shift could weaken the global fight against climate change and endanger crucial funding streams for Ghana’s environmental projects.

“It is a worrying issue that the US has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement because it is the biggest funder. The lackadaisical attitude happening may allow many other countries to exit the agreement so we need to collaborate and use diplomacy to keep benefitting from climate funding.

“Global emission is something that will not stop and so we should continue to honour our Nationally Determined Contribution because if we don’t, we may lose out on many of the donor support.”

The Paris Climate Agreement, adopted in 2015, is an international treaty aimed at combating climate change by limiting global temperature increases to below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The agreement also provides a framework for financial and technical support to developing countries like Ghana to help them adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.