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A climate emergency or a lost cause?
“Then there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed…….every Island fled away and the mountains could not be found.” Rev 16:18-20.
As the world converges in Glasgow to focus on commitments to tackle the climate emergency, we should get a basic understanding of issues and how as individuals and communities we can make changes that may make life better. Referring to Climate Change as an emergency is an understatement; “the train already moved out of the station and we need to find a way of slowing it down and hopefully stopping it and that is no child’s play.”- Dr. Kojo Essel
In Ghana for instance we have seen Climate Change manifest in many areas including;
- Rising temperatures
- Declining rainfall total and increased variability resulting in frequent rainfall in October
- Rising sea levels
- High incidence of weather extremes and disasters
The average annual temperature has increased one degree Celsius in the last 30 years. Now superimpose this on other ills such as galamsey and you can understand how water, which is critical to our very livelihood is sometimes impossible to find and in some instances where available should not be consumed by humans. This exposes us to countless diseases, famine and nutritional challenges among several others. Are cash crops such as our very own Cocoa at risk?
Climate Change resulting from Global Warming poses huge threats to our health and very existence and we are prone to a myriad of problems including:
- Respiratory and heart diseases will be on the increase from the extreme heat. Frequent headaches from several causes, poor concentration from dehydration etc. and effects of heat stroke stare us in the face daily. Vectors of diseases such as malaria will thrive so we will have more ill people. Asthma for instance will have a field day as pollution increases.
- As some regions become drier, droughts will set in leading to a shortage of food and water. Migration will increase leading to overcrowding with all its attendant health problems such as tuberculosis.
Today I repost segments of a 2014 interview with Dr. Ama Essel a Climate Change expert.
KCE: What does climate change involve and is there an immediate danger?
AE: Any significant change in measures of climate (such as temperature, precipitation, or wind) lasting for an extended period. (Decades or longer).
It may also be described as change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods. Many years of human activities are to be blamed and these include:
- Burning of fossil fuels (charcoal, coal, and oil), deforestation, desertification, agricultural activities, transportation, urbanisation, waste management, bush burning and industrialisation.
Climate change threatens the basic elements of life such as access to food, water, shelter and clean air – which in turn severely impacts human health. Decisions on responding to climate change need to put health at the centre.
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
One of the issues we have been grappling with as a nation is corruption, and it has had such a devastating effect on our national development. I have been convinced that until morality becomes the foundation upon which our governance system is built, we can never go forward as a nation.
Our traditional practices, which have shaped our cultural beliefs, have always espoused values that have kept us along the straight and the narrow and have preserved our societies since ancient times.
These are values that frown on negative habits like stealing, cheating, greediness, selfishness, etc. Our grandparents have told us stories of societies where stealing was regarded as so shameful that offenders, when caught, have on a number of instances committed suicide.
In fact, my mother told me of a story where a man who was living in the same village as her mother (my grandmother), after having been caught stealing a neighbour’s cockerel, out of shame committed suicide on a mango tree. Those were the days that shameful acts were an abomination.
Tegare worship, a traditional spiritual worship during which the spirit possesses the Tegare Priest and begins to reveal secrets, was one of the means by which the society upheld African values in the days of my grandmother and the early childhood days of my mother.
Those were the days when the fear of being killed by Tegare prevented people from engaging in anti-social vices. These days, people sleeping with other people’s wives are not uncommon.
These wrongful behaviour was not countenanced at all by Tegare. One was likely going to lose his life on days that Tegare operates, and so unhealthy habits like coveting your neighbour’s wife was a taboo.
Stealing of other people’s farm produce, for instance, could mean certain death or incapacitation of the whole or part of the body in the full glare of everybody. People realised that there were consequences for wrongdoing, and this went a long way to motivate the society to adhere to right values.
Imagine a President being sworn into office and whoever administers the oath says, “Please say this after me: I, Mr. …., do solemnly swear by God, the spirits of my ancestors and the spirits ruling in Ghana, that should I engage in corrupt acts, may I and my family become crippled, may madness become entrenched in my family, may incurable sicknesses and diseases be my portion and that of my family, both immediate and extended.”
Can you imagine a situation where a few weeks afterwards the President goes to engage in corrupt acts and we hear of his sudden demise or incapacitation and confessing that he engaged in corrupt acts before passing or before the incapacitation—and the effect it will have on his successor? I believe we have to critically examine this option to curb corruption.
My grandmother gave me an eyewitness account of one such encounter where a woman died instantly after the Tegare Priest had revealed a wrong attitude she had displayed during the performance on one of the days scheduled for Tegare spirit manifestation.
According to her story, the Priest, after he had been possessed by the spirit, declared that for what the woman had done, he would not forgive her and that he would kill. Instantly, according to my grandmother, the lady fell down suddenly and she died—just like what happened to Ananias and his wife Sapphira in Acts Chapter 5.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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Emotional distortions can indeed have a profound impact on an individual’s mental health and well-being. These distortions can lead to a range of negative consequences, including anxiety, depression, and impaired relationships.
Emotional surgery is a therapeutic approach that aims to address and heal emotional wounds, traumas, and blockages. This approach recognises that emotional pain can have a profound impact on an individual’s quality of life and seeks to provide a comprehensive and compassionate approach to healing.
How emotional surgery can help
Emotional surgery can help individuals:
Identify and challenge negative thought patterns: By becoming aware of emotional distortions, individuals can learn to challenge and reframe negative thoughts.
Develop greater emotional resilience: Emotional surgery can help individuals develop the skills and strategies needed to manage their emotions and respond to challenging situations.
Improve relationships: By addressing emotional wounds and promoting emotional well-being, individuals can develop more positive and healthy relationships with others.
The benefits of emotional surgery
The benefits of emotional surgery can include:
Improved mental health outcomes: Emotional surgery can help individuals reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Enhanced relationships: Emotional surgery can help individuals develop more positive and healthy relationships with others.
Increased self-awareness: Emotional surgery can help individuals develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their emotions.
A path towards healing
Emotional surgery offers a promising approach to addressing emotional distortions and promoting emotional well-being. By acknowledging the impact of emotional pain and seeking to provide a comprehensive and compassionate approach to healing, individuals can take the first step towards recovery and improved mental health.
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BY ROBERT EKOW GRIMMOND-THOMPSON
