The Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND), an NGO which promotes youth inclusion in the governance of natural resources has urged the youth to demand for strong policies on environmental protection.
This, according to SYND was very necessary as biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change posed great threats to the earth necessitating immediate and concerted action.
Deputy Executive Coordinator, SYND, Mr Solomon Yamoah Speaking at a forum (CTEA Debrief workshop) to discuss findings of a research conducted in the WASSA community in the Western Region of the country said demanding strong environmental policies is an ethical obligation to future generation.
He added that by preserving natural resources and combating environmental degradation, we ensure a more sustainable and habitable planet for the future.
“Citizens, businesses and governments must collaborate to create and enforce policies that prioritise environmental protection.”
“The call for strong environmental policies is a collective effort to secure a sustainable and healthier future for all,” he stressed.
A representative of SYND, Ms Gifty Elikplim Agbenyefia during a presentation indicated that the potential long-term impacts of mining operations on the environment include water scarcity, health complication due to chemical exposure and dust, food and land scarcity and unemployment and limited community development.
To reduce such negative impacts, she reiterated the need for the prioritisation of local employment opportunities and the recycling of polluted water to generate hydro power while providing alternate drinking water sources to prevent water scarcity.
In conclusion she called on the various mining communities to demand for respect of community rights and environmental protection.
Participants at the workshop included community members and opinion leaders from the WASSA Community.
They expressed gratitude to SYND for the organising the workshop and assured that they would do their beats to collaborate with the governments and NGO’s in efforts to create a more sustainable environment.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
