24 September 2013, Lagos – Dr Camila Toulmin, Director of International Institute for Environment and Development, on Tuesday urged countries to sustain their greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts.
Toulmin, in a statement issued by the institute’s press officer, Mr Mike Shanahan, said that it was imperative for countries to promote emission reduction measures.
“Continued greenhouse gas emissions will unleash a wild mix of dangerous impacts on human health and environment.
“Latest IPCC report confirms much of what we know already — that human activities are responsible for rising temperatures and increased climate instability across the world
“Citizens and business leaders worldwide, therefore, need to press their governments to reduce greenhouse emissions in their countries.”
The institute’s director expressed worry that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s, IPCC, recent report, did not capture “how climate will change from place to place”.
Toulmin said that there was also the absence of climate models to predict impacts of climate change locally.
“Climate models are not yet robust enough to predict impacts at local and regional scales, but it is clear from our field experience that everybody is vulnerable in some way.
“This uncertainty about local impacts, coupled with the certainty that impacts will come, is a stark warning that everyone needs to get ready.’’
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