Professor Christopher Gordon, former Director of the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana’s (UG) College of Basic and Applied Science has been named an ambassador for the second phase of Earth Commission (EC), Future Earth.
This appointment enhances the UG’s reputation as a contributor of top-tier scientists to global environmental discussions.
Professor Gordon’s ambassadorship will last until the conclusion of the Earth Commission’s second phase in three years.
He is among six former Commissioners who have transitioned to the role of Ambassador, participating in working group meetings and contributing as co-authors in the second phase.
In a conversation with the news team at UG’s Public Affairs Directorate, Professor Gordon expressed that his new role as an Earth Commission Ambassador acknowledges his significant contributions to the future of our planet.
Hosted by Future Earth, the world’s largest network of sustainability scientists, the Earth Commission is the scientific foundation of the Global Commons Alliance.
Its second assessment will expand upon, update, and advance the safe and just Earth system boundaries, transformation, and translation synthesis from the Commission’s first phase. The primary focus will be on scientific assessment and synthesis, with a secondary goal of encouraging the wider research community to progress key areas, such as knowledge around tipping points and the social aspects of potential futures, particularly justice of boundaries, translation, and transformation.
Professor Gordon highlighted the Earth Commission’s focus on the issue of a safe and just planet, noting the lack of equity and limited justice in access to natural capital, which is widening the gap between rich and poor nations and individuals.
He shared with the media team that he served as a Commissioner in the Earth Commission’s first phase, which began in 2019, and co-led the Working Group on Freshwater and Nutrients. In the EC’s second phase, he is delighted to continue as an Ambassador and be part of this group of leading-edge scientists.
His ambassadorial duties include disseminating information about the Earth Commission and continuing his research in areas such as freshwater and environmental pollutants.
Professor Gordon pointed out that environmental pollution in Ghana is affecting people’s health, with substances like persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and microplastics found in water bodies, which are linked to health problems like sterility and birth defects.
He stressed the urgent need to address the three Grand Challenges of Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, and Pollution to prevent the erosion of Ghana’s development gains. As a scientist, his role is to provide the evidence base for policy decisions and advocate for environmental care in Ghana.
Professor Gordon has been actively involved in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management initiatives, especially in water, coastal wetland, and catchment basin issues, at both international and national levels.
He previously served as Vice-President of Wetlands International and the International Society of Limnology (SIL), and was a member of UNEP’s World Adaptation Science Program and its Foresight Panel.
He is currently affiliated with the Centre of Excellence on Climate and Development of the African Research Universities Alliance and serves on the Management Board of the United Nations University Institute of Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA); as well as the Expert Advisory Group of the UK Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC).
He is also the Strategic Country Advisor for the Climate Development and Knowledge Network (CDKN). He is a Member of the Order of the Volta, awarded for his service to Ghana in Research and Development.
The entire UG community wishes Prof. Christopher Gordon the best in his new role.
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