Accra "lost 65% of its urban vegetation between 1986 & 2013." And it keeps losing more as state & private landowners prioritise buildings & profit over FREE green open spaces for all
My piece for @dw_environment w/ @kodjoayi's đź“· and insight from @Kuukuwa_ https://www.dw.com/en/accra-is-becoming-a-concrete-jungle-so-locals-are-building-their-own-parks/a-49730607
Fighting for green space in a concrete jungle

Build your own park? That's what some residents in Ghana's capital, Accra, are doing because, as the city booms, concrete is swallowing up the few green spaces left.

https://www.dw.com/en/accra-is-becoming-a-concrete-jungle-so-locals-are-building-their-own-parks/a-49730607
Key takeaways:

"Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency linked nearly 3,000 deaths in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area to air pollution in 2015. This could rise to 4,600 deaths by 2030, the EPA has warned."
As w/ most things here, residents are creating their own green spaces but even that can face official resistance. Take this before/after photos of a children's park that was designed by @madugian w/ resident's ideas. Public access blocked b'cos of a fence erected by MP Okoe Boye
As w/ most things here, residents are creating their own green spaces but even that can face official resistance. Take this before/after photos of a children's park that was designed by @madugian w/ resident's ideas. Public access blocked b'cos of a fence erected by MP Okoe Boye
As w/ most things here, residents are creating their own green spaces but even that can face official resistance. Take this before/after photos of a children's park that was designed by @madugian w/ resident's ideas. Public access blocked b'cos of a fence erected by MP Okoe Boye
Accra's situation is a microcosm of an Africa-wide issue. Studies conducted in the last decade that I reviewed for this story says: "In Lagos, Kumasi & Addis Ababa, urban greenery covers 3%, 7% & 1% of the total land area, respectively." Cities like Berlin & Vienna have OVER 40%
As such no surprise that @PMEthiopia led the country for the record-breaking nationwide tree planting exercise yesterday. Ghana on the other hand? LOL

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/29/ethiopia-plants-250m-trees-in-a-day-to-help-tackle-climate-crisis
Some replies to this @JustNanaAma tweet on Sunday shows how few people are actually connecting the dots btwn trees + green spaces & their 'chale, Accra make hot' complaints a few weeks ago. Let's not forget greenery helps in this our hyper-stressful city https://twitter.com/JustNanaAma/status/1155387729389281281?s=20
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