The fight against Climate Change in Nigeria demands a concerted effort from all societal levels, as well as the involvement and efforts of all youth, whose influence, vigor, and resilience advocates positioned them as vital contributors in the global effort to combat global warming. Their innovative concepts and creative thinking promote development across a range of industries through social movements and innovation. One such initiative is Fridays for Future Nigeria (FFF Nigeria), an initiative of the Greta Thunberg-inspired global climate movement that gained prominence in Nigeria amidst the pressing climate-related issue and the escalating global climatic disaster.
In today’s highly globalized world, youth engagement in local initiatives, volunteer work, and community activities not only builds resilience and communal links, but also plays a critical role in promoting international understanding and collaborations. Human rights, environmental sustainability, and social justice are being promoted by young people. Their advocacy tackles urgent societal challenges and brings about systemic improvements. A movement like the Rebecca Prince-Ruiz’s Plastic Free July Campaign demonstrates how young people may lead important environmental projects. When it comes to new global issues like Public Health crises, digital transformation, and climate change, they are frequently more responsive and resilient.
Climate-related disasters cause barriers to youths’ learning.
Their creative thinking and proactive manner are crucial for handling these difficult problems. Fortunately, a large portion of Nigeria’s population is young. According to recent estimates, approximately 70 percent of the country’s population is under 30, with approximately 35.1 million individuals in the age range of 25 to 40 years. Nigeria is now among the demographically youngest nations in the world. Nigeria’s young population is expanding faster than the country’s overall population growth rate, at a pace of 3.2 percent annually.
Furthermore, youth involvement is essential to guaranteeing their success in the future as the crisis seriously jeopardizes their health, education, and employment prospects. While economic instability in ecologically susceptible sectors reduces opportunities for employment, rising temperatures and severe weather occurrences cause health problems and disrupt school systems. Climate-related disasters, such as floods, also cause perceptual barriers to youths’ learning, displacing students, damaging infrastructures and impacting the skills and capabilities of the future generation. The flooding, particularly in 2022 and 2023, severely disrupted school-related activities.
Several youth-centric initiatives promoted in Nigeria.
Thus, young people’s participation is critical to establishing a sustainable future as well as making significant advances. Nigerian youths have shown themselves to be imposing advocates of climate action. One example of youth-centric endeavours in Nigeria is the Project Youth Environmental Empowerment Programme (YEPP), which equips and enables young Nigerians to turn threats presented by global warming into opportunities. The UNICEF Nigeria Climate Change Programme, which places Nigeria second in the world for children exposure to climate change, encourages youths to take action against it.
Additionally, the Protect Our Planet Movement Nigeria provides mentorship and training programmes to foster young environmental leaders capable of spearheading community Sustainability initiatives and advocating for climate action. The Climate Reality Project Nigeria, trains youth to become climate leaders and ambassadors by involving them in Education and activism. The Green Campus Initiative (GCI), a student-led initiative, seeks to improve Environmental Sustainability and lessen carbon footprints on Nigerian university campuses. Participation in these initiatives demonstrated their dedication to a sustainable future.
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Young people in Nigeria should not be excluded from the vanguard of the fight against climate change, which is being led by a number of youth-driven organizations globally. They ought to take advantage of their potential in sustainable practices, community engagement, and activism. Youths can also take the lead on neighbourhood projects and activities, such as planting trees to increase green space and prevent deforestation, or organizing frequent clean-up events to address Pollution and encourage proper disposal of waste in the neighbourhood. It is crucial for them to encourage Eco-friendly behaviours, like cutting back on plastic usage.