IMPLEMENTING THE 1997 KYOTO PROTOCOL IN GHANA: PROSPECTS, CHALLENGES AND THE HUMAN SECURITY DIMENSION

Ghana ratified the Kyoto Protocol on 30th May, 2003. This notwithstanding, human activities within various parts of the country continue to generate threats antithetical to the objectives of the Protocol. Addressing these challenges raise a human security conundrum because of the nexus between the practices and the economic portfolio of sections of Ghana’s population. This highlights an inherent contradiction in the implementation of the protocol. Using a combination of secondary material and primary interviews, this article explores the contradiction identified above. It concludes that notwithstanding the benefits of the implementing Kyoto in Ghana, there are challenges to human security manifesting in the form of threats to livelihoods. It therefore recommends the exploration of a balance that facilitates the implementation of the Protocol in a manner that is sensitive to human security