Ghanaian youth produce climate change impact documentary for COP 28

Eleven short films highlighting the impact of climate change on the environment, agriculture and livelihoods are to be screened at the upcoming 2023 UN Climate Change conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

The conference, which is scheduled for November 30 to December 12, 2023, will be the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28).

The films were produced by the youth videographers in the form of a documentary.

The screening of the documentary will be the second from Ghana after the successful showcase of the first documentary at COP 27 in Egypt in 2023.

The film captures the negative impact of climate change on vulnerable communities across the country and was produced as part of the Ghana Youth Videography Programme (GYVP), which was facilitated by the UN Youth Climate Report, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Impact of climate change

Ahead of the screening of the documentary, the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), hosted a VVIP film premiere and panel discussion that attracted audience from various academic and professional backgrounds.

They were shown videos of the impact of climate change on agriculture in the Kpandai District, droughts in the Bole District, flooding of communities around the Weija Dam following a spillage and food security crisis in the Bongo District.

They also saw how some entrepreneurs where championing the recycling of plastic waste, the effect of climate change on the cocoa industry and the adoption of climate smart agriculture systems to improve cocoa production by, especially, women in the industry, deforestation as a result of population growth and urbanisation and the harmful effects of bush fire on agriculture and other sectors.

Awareness

The Rector of GIMPA, Prof. Sammy Bonsu, said the project was part of efforts to encourage the youth to appreciate the role they could play in addressing climate change challenges the world was facing.

He said a similar project focusing on plastic waste would commence in December 2023.

Prof. Bonsu urged all, particularly the youth, to be part of the climate change solution as "it affects all of us".

The Executive Director of Youth Climate Report, a CSO, Mark Terry, also said that the documentary would be shown to UN policymakers at COP 28, adding that "it is a very important project not only for the people of Ghana".

The documentary, he said, amplified underrepresented voices and provided visible evidence of what was taking place in Ghana.

"And that's a lot more compelling than a scientific paper to the policymakers.

So that the policymakers can find out what's happening in Africa in general and Ghana in specific terms of climate change, as told by the young people," Mr Terry added.

Other collections

The executive director further said that there would be other collection of films on various aspects of climate change from around the world, including Belize, the Arctic and from certain parts in Australia.

He said a special film about shark conservation in the wake of plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean would also be shown.

For his part, a member of the Project Team, Prof. Magnus Mfoafo-M’Carthy, said the documentary which would create awareness of climate change also sought to explore the subject through the lenses of young Ghanaians.