The Wisconsin International University College, Ghana (WIUC-GH) in Accra last Wednesday launched a group as part of its efforts to raise awareness of climate change and other environmental issues.
The group, the Wisconsin Environment and Development Society (WEBS), was launched in collaboration with Prudential Life Insurance Ghana.
WEBS, a group of students and alumni of departments of the Development and Environmental Studies in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, will take up advocacy and awareness initiatives within the Wisconsin community and beyond aimed at environmental protection.
Launching the group, the President for WIUC-GH, Prof. Obeng Mireku, called for attitudinal change among Ghanaians as part of efforts to manage environmental degradation.
He said though the group would lead the charge within the Wisconsin community, their activities constituted a reminder that climate change issues concerned everyone and so their management was a shared responsibility.
“Awareness campaign by WEBS must be strengthened so there would be an attitudinal change among the public,” he stated.
He added that, there was the need for children who were usually vulnerable to be educated about climate change and its environmental issues.
“Mainstream environment awareness must also be included in the curricula for schools across the country,” he stressed.
For her part, the Chief Executive Officer for Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, Dr Hazel Berrard Amuah, said her outfit was proud to collaborate with the university as they were committed to assisting with initiatives that would protect the environment.
“Recognising the implications of global warming in the form of extreme heat, rising sea levels which have caused life-threatening floods and severe drought is affecting the livelihoods and health of Ghanaians and people all over the world, we only find it fit that we do our part as a responsible corporate and global citizen in this battle,” she stated.
She said every person, institution and nation must contribute their quota to making significant impact on environmental protection.
“Prudential Life Ghana would continue to partner secondary schools and universities like Wisconsin to educate the public and create awareness of environmental protection,” she said.
Dr Amuah said her outfit had also started and introduced the Prudential recycling cage at Wisconsin to collect plastic bottles to be recycled.
The Main Speaker for the launch, Dr Louis Atsiatorme, said there must be a concerted effort by the public to arrest the degrading state of the environment.
Most importantly, he said, children must be protected from the devastating effects of climate change with support from institutions of higher learning, religious groups, non-governmental organisations and other advocacy groups.
“Involve children in environmental management decision making as it would help safeguard their future,” he stated.
Educational institutions he said, must integrate child right-based approach to climate change responses in their courses and programmes.
The executive members of WEBS were inducted by the President of Wiscons after which the group’s President, Sosthenes Kufogbe, called for a unifying force to address the challenges confronting the environment through awareness creation and education.
BY MICHAEL D. ABAYATEYE
