Although there are a number of laws and programs in place to lessen the effects of climate change, Nigeria has continued to battle with it. The Climate Change Act, which offers recommendations for sustainable environmental practices, is part of Nigeria’s legislative framework for combating climate change. A further indication of the government’s intention to cut Pollution is the conversion of automobiles to compressed Natural Gas engines. Nigeria’s low ranking on global climate vulnerability indexes, however, is a result of incomplete political will, poor policy execution, and mismanagement of ecological money.
Analysts emphasize that in order to address climate change, citizens, leaders, and appropriate budgetary allocations must all show a shared commitment. They emphasize how crucial it is to choose politicians that support climate change since voting has a big impact on how laws are put into practice. Particular environmental problems are mentioned as continuous challenges, including deforestation, air pollution, heat waves, flooding, and irregular rainfall. Experts advise voters to carefully review the Climate Action plans of candidates, especially in the next elections in the states of Edo and Ondo, where local implications of the situation are severe.
Nigeria can adopt comparable community-driven initiatives.
With the implementation of its Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy, Rwanda has emerged as a global leader in climate action. The nation enacted laws supporting resource-efficient agriculture, clean energy, and sustainable land use with the goal of reducing Greenhouse gas Emissions by 38% by 2030. India is now one of the world’s top producers of solar energy, having quickly increased its solar power output. Decentralized solar power projects have improved living conditions and decreased emissions in rural areas by supplying Electricity to formerly off-grid people.
In the fight against climate change, local communities are essential. Reducing Deforestation and pollution in Nigeria can be achieved through community-led Waste Management programs and tree planting activities. Wangari Maathai, for example, organized women in Kenya’s Green Belt Movement to plant over 51 million trees, halting deforestation and providing rural people with a steady source of income. Nigeria can adopt comparable community-driven initiatives to strengthen its resistance to climate change. Nigeria ranks 158th out of 182 countries on the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative Index, indicating a high degree of sensitivity to it.
Public health can be enhanced by implementing clean cooking tech.
Over $5 billion is lost to flooding in Nigeria alone each year, and unpredictable rainfall patterns endanger agriculture, affecting livelihoods and food security. Due to climate-related disasters including droughts and floods, which have an impact on millions of lives and the stability of the economy, Nigeria lost almost 11% of its GDP in 2022. The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics reports that extreme weather events and pest outbreaks caused by climate change have resulted in a 10% decrease in Agricultural Productivity in recent years. Nigeria must impose harsher penalties for noncompliance with current environmental Legislation and implement them.
Climate resilience can be mainstreamed across sectors by incorporating climate action into national development goals, such as Kenya’s Vision 2030. Farmers can better adjust to shifting weather patterns by embracing climate-smart Agriculture practices like precision farming and drought-resistant crops. Public Health can be enhanced and deforestation can be decreased by implementing clean cooking technologies like solar cookers. Financial resources required for climate adaptation initiatives in Nigeria may be made available to the country through access to international climate funds, such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Partnerships between the public and commercial sectors can also stimulate funding for conservation, sustainable infrastructure, and Renewable Energy projects.
Related Article: Climate Change and Its Effects on Nigeria
Stronger environmental laws and greater funding for green Technology are the goals of Nigerian environmental activists, such those in the Nigeria Climate Action Network. They are essential in promoting policy changes at the municipal and federal levels and in creating awareness. Sea level rise, which has degraded land and uprooted families, is something that locals in climate-vulnerable places, like the Aiyetoro community in Ondo State, have personally experienced. Stronger local adaption strategies and immediate government action are frequently demanded by these communities. Learning from successful global models, empowering local communities, and implementing cutting-edge technologies are all necessary to expand Nigeria’s approach to climate change, with strong support from all spheres of society.