GRITG’s call to stop environmental degradation apt

 The Green Revolution In­novative Thinkers Ghana (GRITG), a non-profit organisation, has called on the government to organise a nation­al forum to discuss effective ways of dealing with Illegal mining, otherwise known as galamsey, and climate change, to stop the environmental degradation and associated health hazards.

The organisation seeking to tackle global food security, climate change, and ecological degradation gives the impres­sion that tackling galamsey has become more difficult because some people continue to rely on it as a source of livelihood despite its negative effects on the environment and wellbeing of the people.

The Ghanaian Times acknowl­edges that a good number of people depend on galamsey as their source of livelihood but since its devastation far out­weighs the benefits few people get from it, the menace must be vehemently fought and defeated.

In other words, since few peo­ple benefit from galamsey but it negatively affects a great number of people, the act must be clas­sified among all bad endeavours like drug dealings, all manner of smuggling, and prostitution.

Such endeavours are sources of livelihoods for countless num­ber of people, yet tight-thinking and good members of the soci­ety frown upon them.

Meanwhile, with the exception of the use of drugs and prosti­tution, which can result in some health hazards, the rest of these criminalised economic activities are hardly encountered by ordi­nary members of the society.

However, it doesn’t take much effort to recognise the galamsey activity because of its glaring effects on water bodies and the general environment.

In the face of this, no excuse is good enough to abandon the fight against galamsey, force­fully initiated by the outgone Akufo-Addo administration.

The challenges that hindered the success of that fight must be identified as soon as possible and the fight resumed in earnest and sustained untill the state clinches victory.

The truth is that climate change is now a natural phenom­enon society has to contend with and matters become worse when self-inflicted acts like galamsey and associated effects are allowed to drive it.

Since such self-inflicted acts can be easily controlled, society must address them and then find ways around climate change, which is a natural occurrence with other human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas driving it.

The fight against galamsey and climate change in the country is, therefore, non-negotiable, but every fight needs its particular strategies.

To this end, The Ghanaian Times endorses the call by GRITG on the government to organise a na­tional forum to discuss effective ways of dealing with galamsey and climate change, to stop the environmental degradation and associated health hazards.

Such a call is not new, but it comes to rekindle the need and enthusiasm to sustain all efforts to win the fight.

It appears the fight against galamsey initiated by the Akufo-Addo administration didn’t get the necessary support, which means any renewed or even fresh fight must get the strongest of support from stake­holders.

These stakeholders must be led by politicians, chiefs and security personnel and, certainly, the nec­essary gains would accrue.

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