Climate Change and Human Health In Accra, Ghana: Final Technical Report
Abstract
Climate change poses an increasingly recognizable threat to the livelihoods and well being of Ghanaians. In agricultural areas, the degradation of soils and water resources, and the escalation of droughts have contributed to the deterioration of livelihoods. This has resulted in farming families sending one or more of their barely-adult offspring to urban areas. These migrations contribute to fuelling the urban proliferation in sub-Saharan Africa, currently the fastest urbanizing continent in the world. Urbanization is therefore creating slums encumbered by poor sanitation, rampant malaria, HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, unemployment, and crime. This project sought answers to the following questions posed; (i) How do urban dwellers think about climate change? (ii) What are the general stressors (including climate change) that impact their livelihoods? (iii) To what extent does health feature in their livelihood stressors (iv) How do communities establish the link between climate change and health (v) How has their health been affected (past and present) by climate variability and change? (vi) Are there some lessons about these health effects that could inform health care planners and policymakers to be better prepared for future climate change impacts? (vii) Do existing water and sanitation systems cope with climate variability and extremes (flooding, torrential rains)? (viii) How can these systems be strengthened to protect the health of urban communities in the face of climate change (ix) Are urban populations experiencing health changes that could be linked to climate change?
Citation
Nii Ardey Codjoe, S. Climate Change and Human Health In Accra, Ghana: Final Technical Report. (2012) 61 pp.
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