Ghanaian Civil Engineer, Fawan Issah Iddi
Ghanaian Civil Engineer, Fawan Issah Iddi has called for the introduction of tax incentives and subsidies for low-carbon constructions in the country as part of efforts to ensure a climate-resilient future for the country.
Calling for an urgent need for Ghana to integrate sustainability into its construction industry, the Civil Engineer also said that the country needed to develop and enforce national green building codes that align with the country’s climate goals, invest in capacity building for local professionals and incorporating sustainability criteria into public procurement and promote life cycle based sustainability assessment for major infrastructure projects.
Fawan spoke in an interview in Tamale on Friday.
Low-carbon construction refers to building practices that minimise the carbon footprint of a building throughout its lifecycle, from construction to demolition. It involves reducing emissions from materials, construction processes, and the building’s operational energy use.
Climate change effects in Ghana
Ghana is already experiencing the devastating effects of climate change, especially in Northern Ghana.
Last year, an over 40 day drought in Northern Ghana caused destruction to thousands of acres of farmlands, forcing the government to come in to provide relief support worth millions of Ghana cedis to affected farmers.
Experts have been warning that Ghana would be experiencing the effects climate change and have blamed the drought on the effects of climate change in the Northern Ghana.
Dr Yaw Agyeman Boafo, a climate change expert at the Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies at the University of Ghana last year highlighted several urgent signs of climate change in Ghana.
He noted that rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, especially in Northern Ghana and irregular rainfall patterns were among the signs of climate change in the West African country.
Ghana’s carbon emissions
In 2020, Ghana was said to be contributing about 19,401 to Sub-Saharan Africa’s 760,868.113 carbon emissions. This figure was expected to rise in the following years.
Fawan said there is limited focus on reducing carbon emissions especially in the Ghanaian construction industry even though it remains one of the country’s most environmentally impactful industries.
“The construction sector remains one of the country’s most environmentally impactful industries, with its carbon footprint expanding rapidly. Ghana’s construction industry is largely dominated by traditional methods that are resource-intensive and carbon-heavy,” he said.
He added that “This presents a significant threat to the country’s ability to meet its climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.”
Fawan said it was important for urgent actions to be taken because “The construction sector is responsible for nearly 40% of global energy-related CO₂ emissions and over 30% of global energy consumption.”
He noted that Ghana would need to reduce the direct annual CO₂ emissions from the buildings sector from 1.9 Metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO₂e) to 0 MtCO₂e by 2032, reaching full decarbonisation.