Land and Climate Seminar - Biophysical assessment of climate change severity in the upper east region, Ghana

Climate change has continued to be a pressing concern, particularly for climate-vulnerable regions around the world, including Sub-Saharan Africa. While climate change is occurring at a rapid rate, its impact increases in severity. This article examines the biophysical assessment of climate change severity in the Upper East Region (UER) of Ghana. The study’s methodology combines satellite remote sensing data, field surveys, participatory mapping, and policy analysis. A year-long mean, Normalised Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI), rainfall pattern, evapotranspiration (ETa), and Land Surface Temperature (LST) were generated for four different years from Google Earth Engine. A survey involving 200 respondents was also conducted to complement the satellite-based imagery. The findings of the study showed a decline in the mean annual NDVI from 0.40 in 1990 to 0.35 in 2024. This revealed a decline in vegetation greenness and a transition from Sudan to Sahel savannah, suggesting an increasing climate change impact on vegetation. Mean annual rainfall also suggests a declining annual rainfall and is linked to decreased land surface vegetation. While rainfall declines, LST rose, with mean maximum temperature increasing from 39 ⁰C in 1990 to 45 ⁰C in 2024. In the same trend, the findings on the ETa data suggest increasing evapotranspiration, which is attributed to increasing LST. While climate change is increasingly becoming severe, farmers have continued to grapple with its severity. To address the situation, proactive climate action through collective actions, institutional commitment, and long-term localised adaptation strategies have been recommended.