Climate change has become a global issue, not only because it affects the intensity and frequency of rainfall but also because it impacts the economic development of regions whose economies heavily rely on rainfall, such as the West African region. Hence, the need for this study, which is aimed at understanding how rainfall may change in the future over the Sahel, Savannah, and coastal zones of the Volta River Basin (VRB). The trends and changes in rainfall between 2021–2050 and 1985–2014 under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) scenarios were analyzed after evaluating the performance of three climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) using Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) as observation. The results show, in general, a relatively high correlation and low spatial biases for rainfall (r > 0.91, −20% < Pbias < 20%) over the entire Volta Basin for the models’ ensemble mean. An increasing trend and projected increase in annual rainfall under the SSP2-4.5 scenario is 6.0% (Sahel), 7.3% (Savannah), and 2.6% (VRB), but a decrease of 1.1% in the coastal zone. Similarly, under SSP5-8.5, the annual rainfall is projected to increase by 32.5% (Sahel), +22.8% (Savannah), 23.0% (coastal), and 24.9% (VRB), with the increase being more pronounced under SSP5-8.5 compared to the SSP2-4.5 scenario. The findings of the study would be useful for planning and designing climate change adaptation measures to achieve sustainable development at the VRB.
Purpose –– This study examines the factors influencing the adoption of ecological behaviour among first year students at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development in Ghana.
Methods –– The study employed a questionnaire survey design. Data was collected from 103 students enrolled into programmes offered by the School of Sustainable Development and the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences. Inferential analysis was computed using regression.
Findings –– Results show that students’ demographic characteristics, particularly their current and past academic programmes, year of completion of senior high school and household size, positively influence their environmental knowledge and ecological behaviour.
Conclusion & Recommendation –– The study concludes that social values and environmental knowledge contribute significantly to promoting students’ ecological behaviour. The study therefore recommends the need for an inclusive and multistakeholder approach to integrating environmental education and social values into existing and future curricula and academic programmes.
Keywords –– Tertiary students, environmental education, pro-environmental behaviour, environmental knowledge, social value
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