Abstract
The government of Ghana has implemented climate change mitigation initiatives with measurable goals beneficial to emission reduction and public health. For instance, it pledged to distribute two million solar lanterns to households and achieve 50% adoption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) by peri-urban and rural households by 2030. Through the Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, the government also planned to distribute 50,000 free cylinders and cookstoves nationwide. These actions have yielded modest results. This study investigates residents’ awareness and perceptions of these household emission reduction policies. A semi-structured online questionnaire was conducted in Greater Accra from October 2023 to February 2024, collecting 146 valid responses. Ordered probit regression analysis was used to examine correlations between respondents’ socio-demographic variables and their perceptions. Results indicate that 66% of respondents were aware of the ban on second-hand refrigerators, 52% knew about the ban on importing used air conditioners, and 62% were familiar with the government’s refrigerator rebate program. However, 69% were unaware of tax exemptions on solar products and the solar lantern program. Regression analysis shows that, among gender, age, education, experience, and income, only monthly income significantly affected perceptions (p-value = 0.010). Higher-income was linked to a more positive perception of emission reduction policies. Given moderate awareness levels, this paper explores strategies the Ghanaian government can adopt to enhance public awareness and support for its climate change initiatives.
Presenters
Seth AdomStudent, Doctoral Program, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan Kenichi Matsui
Associate Professor, Sustainable Environmental Studies, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Education, Assessment and Policy
KEYWORDS
Residents, Perceptions, Awareness, Emission Policies, Ghana
