By Edward Acquah, GNA
Accra, May 24, GNA- There is an urgent need for Africa to improve climate science to contribute significantly to global discussions on climate mitigation adaptation measures, Dr Portia Adade Williams, a Climate Adaptation Expert, said on Monday.
Making Reference to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report, Dr Williams expressed worry over contributions to the report by only a few African researchers.
“When we put all African countries together, we are contributing the very least to climate change yet the impact on us is very great,” the Expert said.
She said with Africa identified as one of the hotspots for climate change, the Continent must pay critical attention to climate change issues and contribute more in terms of research.
Dr. Williams, also a Research Scientist at the Science and Technology Policy Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-STEPRI), said this in a presentation at the Climate Science Speaker Series (2022 Second Edition) at Legon in Accra.
The Series was organized by the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Ghana (AIMS) as part of the Africa Science Week, a flagship program of the Next Einstein Forum (NEF).
In its report, the IPCC warned that the world was set to reach the 1.5ºC level within the next two decades and that only the most drastic cuts in carbon emissions from now would help prevent an environmental disaster.
The IPCC warned that global temperatures would rise by more than 4ºC by the end of the century if drastic action was not taken to reduce carbon emissions.
Dr. Williams said the level of greenhouse gases “is going towards unacceptable warnings” and called for mitigation to prevent the dire consequences on the world.
“If nothing is done and we get to a temperature of 1.5 °C, it is going to have very negative consequences for our natural environment, human health, and wellbeing, and also reduce food production,” she said.
“To fit very well into this discussion, we have to improve on Africa climate science.”
She urged the youth to express interest in climate change issues to tap into the many untapped career opportunities in the area.
GNA