See galamsey battle as one that needs concerted effort to overcome …President, TGRP urge political parties

• Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa

Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa, President of The Green Republic Project (TGRP), has called on all political parties and the general Ghanaian populace to see the galamsey battle as one that needs a concerted effort to overcome and not one to be politicised.

“I believe in the ingenuity of the Ghanaian people in overcoming obstacles if we choose to work together. I therefore call for a National approach to dealing with the issue going forward. Such a dangerous cancer like galamsey can simply not be treated as a subject for politicisation of whish’s end result would be the wiping of Ghana off the map. That is how serious the crisis is” he said in a statement issued in Accra yesterday.

The Green Republic Project, is a youth-driven climate action organisation committed to helping combat the defining challenge of our time, climate change and global warming through the planting of trees as natural remedy to the climate crisis.

To find a lasting solution to the galamsey problem he called on the State to make Ecocide a crime as a sustainable response to the galamsey crisis currently bedeviling the country.

“If Genocide is a heinous crime frowned and punishable by law, why can’t we make Ecocide a heinous crime punishable by law since the two are inextricably entwined and inseparable twins representing the different sides of the same coin?” he asked.

Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa said “finding workable and sustainable solutions to the crisis will not stem from emotional blame game and unnecessary politicisation of the crisis, but from a well thought out legal driven solutions like passing a law to make ECOCIDE a crime.

He argued that the existing legislation related to illegal mining primarily emphasised penalising offenders for operating without licenses, yet it failed to address the consequential impacts of environmental degradation.

“This includes the contamination of water bodies, which poses significant risks due to the use of toxic and hazardous substances such as cyanide and mercury, as well as the mining activities conducted in riverbeds and the extensive deforestation occurring throughout the nation,” he said.

He quizzed “why do we not have people held accountable for the mass destruction of nature (ECOCIDE) ie waterbodies, forests and arable land?

Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa indicated that such a law would even keep the large mining companies under scrutiny ensuring that their activities do not lead to the mass destruction of nature.

“We read of some big mining firms whose activities lead to pollution of water bodies among others who go unpunished because they mine lawfully but neglect the environmental hazards caused by irresponsible and unethical mining practices,” he stressed.

He hinted of The Green Republic Project’s readiness to help in championing such a cause of passing into law an ECOCIDE Bill and called on all well-meaning Ghanaians in helping safeguard the future of Ghana.

BY TIMES REPORTER

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