Climate experts, policymakers, and researchers have renewed calls for Ghana and other African countries to take decisive action against climate change, as global temperatures edge closer to the 1.5°C threshold.
The call was made at a two-day meeting held on February 19 to 20, 2026, in Accra, organised by the African Climate Intervention Research Hub (ACIRH).
The meeting, themed “Exploring Climate Intervention Perspectives and Questions for Africa,” brought together climate scientists and decision-makers to examine Africa’s position in the evolving climate intervention debate.
As climate impacts intensify from erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts to coastal erosion and food insecurity, participants stressed that mitigation and adaptation alone may no longer be sufficient. Instead, Africa must actively engage in conversations around Climate Intervention (CI), including Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Management (SRM).
Why Climate Intervention Matters Now
Climate intervention refers to deliberate large-scale approaches aimed at counteracting the effects of climate change. While mitigation focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, climate intervention technologies are designed to directly address warming already locked into the system.
ACIRH, formed in 2024 and launched in 2025, seeks to ensure that African perspectives shape research and policy discussions on these emerging technologies. Currently, most research on CDR and SRM is conducted in the Global North, raising concerns that African realities, vulnerabilities and priorities are not adequately represented.
The Accra meeting builds on earlier engagements in 2025 and aims to strengthen collaboration between science and policy communities, ensuring African voices are not sidelined in global climate discourse.
“Stop the Talk, Get Into Action” – Dr. Francis Nkrumah
Speaking to the media, Dr. Francis Nkrumah of the University of Cape Coast underscored the urgency of exploring Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) as part of a broader climate strategy.
SRM, he explained, “is a group of large-scale approaches to reduce global warming by increasing the amount of sunlight that is reflected away from Earth and back to space. And this slight cooling will cause global warming to slow down a bit.”
He emphasised that while SRM is not a replacement for emission reductions, it could serve as a complementary tool in slowing temperature rise.
“If we actually want to make all these theoretical policies work, then it is high time we stop the talk and get into action,” he said.
“It is just unfortunate that some of our human activities that contribute to the damage of the climate are necessities. Stopping will be a little difficult and this is why we need to take the technologies seriously and help reduce the impact of the effects of climate change.”
His comments reflect a growing sentiment that Africa must move beyond policy drafting and accelerate implementation, particularly as climate-related losses mount across agriculture, infrastructure and public health systems.
Bridging the Knowledge Gap at the Community Level
Also speaking at the session, Dr. Nathaniel Bimpong of the Environmental Protection Agency highlighted the need to simplify climate terminology when educating local communities.
“If the farmer in the local community knows the change in climate and understands the change well, this farmer will have to change his or her times of cultivation in order to get the maximum of his or her labour,” he said.
“If he or she is also aware of the kinds of crops he or she should cultivate in a specific season, I think this farmer would be happy in the end due to the clear education.”
His remarks underscore a critical gap in Ghana’s climate response: translating scientific data into actionable guidance for farmers, fisherfolk and vulnerable communities. Without practical communication strategies, climate policies risk remaining abstract and ineffective.
Evidence-Based Positioning on SRM
Dr. Naomi Kumi of the University of Energy and Natural Resources stressed the importance of African countries developing informed positions on SRM before engaging in global negotiations.
“For me, when it comes to SRM implementation, we really need to understand everything about the SRM,” she said.
“When we go and meet international partners and we keep saying we don’t want SRM, what evidence do we have? We really need to get our facts right before moving to the IPCC levels. These are the reasons we need to really understand the issues clearly.”
Her intervention highlights a strategic imperative: Africa must not simply react to proposals shaped elsewhere. Instead, the continent needs rigorous, African-led research that evaluates the risks, governance implications and potential benefits of climate intervention technologies.
A Strategic Moment for Ghana
For Ghana, the stakes are particularly high. The country faces rising sea levels along its coastline, unpredictable rainfall affecting cocoa and food crop production, and growing urban heat stress. Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it is a present economic and social challenge.
As global conversations increasingly include climate intervention options, Ghana must strengthen its research base, invest in scientific capacity and integrate climate intervention discussions into national climate policy frameworks.
The ACIRH initiative represents a deliberate effort to bridge science and policy, ensuring African decision-making is backed by African research.
Participants at the Accra meeting agreed on one central point: Africa cannot afford to be a passive observer in the climate intervention debate. Whether through Carbon Dioxide Removal, Solar Radiation Modification or enhanced adaptation strategies, the continent must define its own pathway, grounded in evidence, equity and long-term resilience.
In a climate-constrained future, preparedness will not be optional. It will be strategic.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com