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Domestication of International Law on the Environment and Climate Change in Ghana: Challenges and Prospects

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Democratic Governance, Law, and Development in Africa

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Abstract

International climate law and governance have evolved with many critical issues at play on compliance and accountability. To address such issues, climate change has been tackled with global legislation (treaties, protocols) and policies with the view of addressing the climate crisis. It has been observed that good climate governance has a direct impact on sustainability and development. Notwithstanding, national legislation on climate change in Ghana has received little attention in terms of assessing their standards, compliance and accountability measures with international minimum standards. The chapter adopted a desktop research approach to analyse the existing literature on climate law and governance in Ghana. It argued that international law on climate change has implications on enhancing the legislative, policy and institutional architecture of Ghana’s climate action towards compliance and accountability. The chapter concludes that, in the milieu of the current global development paradigm, a call for effective and enduring national climate legal architecture is timeliest.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change defines ‘Climate Change’ as a 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.

  2. 2.

    Current research areas on climate change that are considered worthwhile to resolve the promise and pitfalls of climate change law include, but are not limited to, soft law and hard law on climate change, science, expertise and international climate change law, climate change and international peace and security, climate change and the ozone layer regime, climate change and investment law, climate change and trade law, climate change and the law of the sea, climate change and international disaster law.

  3. 3.

    Along with other treaties adopted in Stockholm.

  4. 4.

    United Nation, ‘The World Economic Situation and Prospects 2020’ (2020) https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wpcontent/uploads/sites/45/WESP2020_FullReport.pdf accessed 10 August 2021.

  5. 5.

    Ibid (n 4), iv.

  6. 6.

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), ‘Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)’ (2021); The global authority on climate science, the IPCC, warned in its Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C, of the dire implications of even a small rise in temperature.

  7. 7.

    Ibid. (n 6).

  8. 8.

    Ibid. (n 6).

  9. 9.

    Ibid. (n 6).

  10. 10.

    Sustainability is used interchangeably with Sustainable Development. It simply means development that satisfies the needs of the present generation without compromising the future to meet its own needs. See, Principle 3 of the Rio Declaration (1996).

  11. 11.

    Institute for Human Rights and Business, ‘Top 10 Business and Human Rights Issues 2022’ (2022) https://www.ihrb.org/library/top-10/top-ten-issues-in-2022 accessed 3 January 2022.

  12. 12.

    Deepesh Patel, ‘IPCC Issues Stark Climate Change Warning—But What about Trade?’ (Trade Finance Global Articles, 2021) https://www.tradefinanceglobal.com/posts/ipcc-issues-stark-climate-change-warning-but-what-about-trade/ accessed 10 August 2021.

  13. 13.

    Elizabeth Kolbert, ‘Obama’s Science Adviser Urges Leadership on Climate’ (Yale School of the Environment Yale Environment 360, 2009) https://e360.yale.edu/features/obamas_science_adviser_urges_leadership_on_climate accessed 10 August 2021.

  14. 14.

    Ibid. (n 13).

  15. 15.

    David Hunter, ‘Human Rights Implications for Climate Change Negotiations’ (2009) 11(2) Oregon Review of International Law, 331.

  16. 16.

    Akihisa Mori (Ed.), Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development: East Asian Perspectives (United Nations University Press, Tokyo 2013).

  17. 17.

    Alexander Zahar (Ed), International Climate Change Law and State Compliance. (Routledge, New York 2015).

  18. 18.

    Ibid. (n 17).

  19. 19.

    Fernanda Guerra and others, Mapping the Institutional Architecture of Global Climate Change Governance. IVM Institute for Environmental Studies (Technical Report 1–32. 2015).

  20. 20.

    Frank Biermann and others, ‘The Fragmentation of Global Governance Architectures: A Framework for Analysis’ (2009) Global Environmental Politics, 9(4), 14–40.

  21. 21.

    Salman Ahmad and others, Environmental Management Systems and Sustainability: Integrating Sustainability in Environmental Management Systems (Masters’ Thesis, School of Engineering Blekinge Institute of Technology Karlskrona, Sweden 2009).

  22. 22.

    Frank Biermann and others, ‘The Fragmentation of Global Governance Architectures: A Framework for Analysis’ (2009) Global Environmental Politics, 9(4), 14–40; Robert Keohane and David Victor, ‘The Regime Complex for Climate Change’ (2011) Perspectives on Politics, 9(1), 7–23; Kenneth Abbott and Duncan Snidal, ‘The Governance Triangle: Regulatory Standards Institutions and The Shadow of the State’ in Mattli Walter and Ngaire Woods (eds), The Politics of Global Regulation (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press 2009).

  23. 23.

    Lakshman Guruswamy ‘International Environmental Law in a Nutshell. (5th Ed West 2017).

  24. 24.

    Alexander Zahar (eds), International Climate Change Law and State Compliance. (Routledge, New York 2015).

  25. 25.

    Unity College, ‘What is the Importance of Environmental Law? (2019) https://unity.edu/environmental-careers/what-is-the-importance-of-environmental-law/ accessed 19 March 2021; Spyridon Stavropoulos and others, ‘Environmental Regulations and Industrial Competitiveness: Evidence from China’ (2018) 50(12) Applied Economics, 1378; Antoine Dechezlepretre and Misato Sato, ‘The Impacts of Environmental Regulations on Competitiveness’ (2017) 11(2) Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 183; Francis Korankye-Sakyi and Elijah Yin, ‘Analysis of Ghana’s SME Industrial Policy Approach: Call for a New Beginning’ Journal of Business and Enterprise Development, (forthcoming).

  26. 26.

    Ibid. (n 24).

  27. 27.

    Ibid (n 22).

  28. 28.

    Ghana Statistical Service, ‘Social and Demography. Population Projections 2021’ (2021). https://statsghana.gov.gh/nationalaccount_macros.php?Stats=MTA1NTY1NjgxLjUwNg==/webstats/s679n2sn87 accessed 11 August 2021; World Population Review, ‘Ghana Population 2021’ (2021) https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/ghana-population accessed 11 August 2021.

  29. 29.

    Republic of Ghana, ‘Health and Pollution Action Plan’ (May 2019) https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/files/2019-06/Ghana_HPAP_document_0.pdf accessed 10 August 2021.

  30. 30.

    Ibid (n 28).

  31. 31.

    Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi, ‘The Civil Justice Reform Debate: An African Perspective’ in Elijah Tukwariba Yin and Nelson Kofie, (eds), Advancing Civil Justice Reform and Conflict Resolution in Africa and Asia: Comparative Analyses and Case Studies (IGI Global Publishers, New York 2021) 46.

  32. 32.

    Renewable Energy Act, 2011 (Act 832).

  33. 33.

    Energy Commission Act, 1997 (Act 541).

  34. 34.

    The 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, art 41(k).

  35. 35.

    1992 Constitution, chap 6.

  36. 36.

    National Redemption Council Decree, 1974 (NRCD 239) s 2.

  37. 37.

    Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Act 490 1994, s 2.

  38. 38.

    Environmental Assessment Regulations, 1999 (LI 1652) as amended by Environmental Assessment (Amendment) Regulations, 2001 (L.I. 1694) and Environmental Assessment (Amendment) Regulations, 2002 (L.I. 1703).

  39. 39.

    Environmental Protection Agency, ‘Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines for the Health Sector’ (Ghana Environmental Assessment Capacity Development Programme and Ghana Environmental Assessment Support Programme, 2010).

  40. 40.

    Kojo Agyeman, ‘Auditor-General’s Report Indicts Minerals Commission, EPA for Not Enforcing Regulations on Reclamation’ Citi News Room (Accra, 18 August 2021) https://citinewsroom.com/2021/08/auditor-generals-report-indicts-minerals-commission-epa-for-not-enforcing-regulations-on-reclamation/ accessed 19 August 2021.

  41. 41.

    Ibid. (n 25).

  42. 42.

    Micheal Porter and & Claas Van der Linde, ‘Toward a New Conception of the Environment–Competitiveness Relationship’ (1995) 9(4) Journal of Economic Perspectives, 97.

  43. 43.

    Ibid. (n 25).

  44. 44.

    The contribution of the Kyoto protocol to the climate change law regime is just by its affirming the notorious rule under the FCCC that requires states must report their GHG fully and accountably. In that sense, the protocol did not galvanise a new international climate law from that of the FCCC, or even conceptually.

  45. 45.

    The Declaration of the UN Conference on the Human Environment (adopted on 16 July, 1972) UN Doc A/CONF/48/14/REV.

  46. 46.

    The Rio de Janeiro Declaration on Environment and Development (adopted on 14 June 1992) UN Doc. A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. I).

  47. 47.

    Hunter, David, Julia Sommer, and Scott Vaughan, Concepts and Principles of International Environmental Law: An Introduction (United Nations Environmental Programme. CIEL, Washington 1993); United Nations Environment Programme, ‘Principles and Concepts of International Environmental Law (Part 1) (United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements, n.d.) https://globalpact.informea.org/sites/default/files/documents/Book%20%E2%80%93%20Principles%20and%20concepts%20of%20international%20environmental%20law%20%28Part%201%29.pdf accessed 12 August 2021.

  48. 48.

    Ibid. (n 46).

  49. 49.

    Ibid. (n 46).

  50. 50.

    Lars-Göran Engfeldt, ‘From Stockholm to Johannesburg and Beyond’ (Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, 2009).

  51. 51.

    Ibid. (n 49); Ibid. (n 46).

  52. 52.

    Disputes between States concerning international environmental law can be heard in the International Court of Justice (provided the dispute is between States that have declared that the ICJ has compulsory jurisdiction). The ICJ is a court of general jurisdiction that provides advisory opinions and decides contentious cases.

  53. 53.

    Cesare Romano and others, The Oxford Handbook of International Adjudication (Oxford University Press, New York 2014).

  54. 54.

    Pamela Chasek, ‘Stockholm and the Birth of Environmental Diplomacy: Still Only One Earth: Lessons from 50 years of UN Sustainable Development Policy’ (International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020) https://www.iisd.org/articles/stockholm-and-birth-environmental-diplomacy accessed 12 August 2021.

  55. 55.

    Ibid. (n 49)31–32.

  56. 56.

    Pamela Chasek and Richard Sherman, ‘Ten Days in Johannesburg: A Negotiation of Hope’ (UNDP South Africa/Government of the Republic of South Africa, 2004); Ibid. (n 59) 86–87.

  57. 57.

    Ibid (n 46).

  58. 58.

    United Nations, ‘Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development-1996; A/CONF.151/26 /Vol. I (Rio de Janeiro, 3–14 June 1992).

  59. 59.

    Alexander Zahar, ‘International Climate Change Law and State Compliance’ (2015).

  60. 60.

    The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 1996 CoP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016 The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 1996 CoP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.

  61. 61.

    Michal Nachmany and others, ‘Climate Change Legislation in Ghana: An Excerpt from the 2015 Global Climate Legislation Study- A Review of Climate Change Legislation in 99 Countries’ (Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, n. d).

  62. 62.

    Ibid. (n 60) 3.

  63. 63.

    The NAP process emerged from the 16th CoP to the UNFCCC in Cancun in 2010, where Parties affirmed that ‘adaptation must be addressed with the same priority as mitigation’ (UNFCCC, 2010, p.3). The NAP process is a ‘continuous, progressive and country-driven process that seeks to align national priorities and sustainable development objectives’ (UN-Least Developed Countries Expert Group [LEG], 2012). The NAP Global Network defines a NAP Framework as a guiding document aimed at clarifying the overarching vision and structure for the NAP process and its added value in a country (Dazé, Price-Kelly, & Rass, 2016).

  64. 64.

    The Paris Agreement (1996) art 4, para 2.

  65. 65.

    Ibid. (n 63).

  66. 66.

    Ibid. (n 63) art 4, para 12.

  67. 67.

    Republic of Ghana, ‘National Climate Change Policy Action Programme for Implementation: 2015–2020’ (The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, 2015).

  68. 68.

    Ibid. (n 66).

  69. 69.

    Ibid. (n 66).

  70. 70.

    Ibid. (n 66).

  71. 71.

    Accra Climate Action Plan. (2020). First Five-Year Action Plan 2020–2025, 3.

  72. 72.

    Ibid. (n 27).

  73. 73.

    Taylor Kilduff, ‘The Difficulties of Enforcing Global Environmental Law’ (2019) https://www.law.georgetown.edu/environmental-law-review/blog/214/ accessed 19 March 2021.

  74. 74.

    David B Hunter ‘Implications of the Copenhagen Accord for Global Climate Governance’ (2010) 10(2) Sustainable Development Law & Policy, 5.

  75. 75.

    Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi & Kweku Attakora Dwomoh, ‘Towards a Conducive Investment Climate within ECOWAS: The Case for the Amendment of Sections 27 and 28 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act 865 of 2013’ (2021) 1(1) UCC Law Journal, 57; Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi and others, ‘Revisiting MSMEs Financing Through Banking Reform Processes: Assessing the Ghanaian Legal Experiences’ in James Atta Peprah and others (eds), Financial Sector Development in Ghana: Exploring Bank Stability, Financing Models, and Development Challenges for Sustainable Financial Markets. (Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, London, forthcoming).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Law, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana

    Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi & Elijah Tukwariba Yin

  2. School of Law, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

    Peter Atudiwe Atupare

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  1. Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi
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Correspondence to Francis Kofi Korankye-Sakyi .

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  1. Kumasi, Ghana

    Maame Efua Addadzi-Koom

  2. Sunyani, Ghana

    Michael Addaney

  3. Kumasi, Ghana

    Lydia A. Nkansah

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Korankye-Sakyi, F.K., Atupare, P.A., Yin, E.T. (2022). Domestication of International Law on the Environment and Climate Change in Ghana: Challenges and Prospects. In: Addadzi-Koom, M.E., Addaney, M., Nkansah, L.A. (eds) Democratic Governance, Law, and Development in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-15397-6_23

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