Climate change is a complex environmental issue due of its long-term uncertain timeframe, scales of occurrence, differential impacts and vulnerabilities, as well as equity and justice within the global power lopsidedness. For instance, the impacts of climate change are already driving people back into poverty and undermining growth and development across the globe. Beyond recognizing the potential devastating effects of climate change on the socio-economic and environmental development of the country and implications for the well-being of the populace, the government needs\u00a0to strengthen its management\u00a0capacity.<\/p>\n
Through appropriate policy and institutional frameworks that will\u00a0mainstream climate change into its development priorities and\u00a0encourages\u00a0implementation of mitigation and adaptation actions at all levels of governance for climate compatible sustainable development\u00a0this could be achieved.\u00a0No doubt, the country is already facing significant environmental degradation, including deforestation, soil erosion, and desertification.<\/p>\n
However, efforts are\u00a0in place by the government to ensure\u00a0this global phenomenon\u00a0is properly addressed.\u00a0These include climate-focused policy research and\u00a0various\u00a0initiated mechanisms to protect\u00a0Nigerians from\u00a0climate change impacts. An example of such initiative is\u00a0Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), a project focused on the restoration of 90 gully sites and the construction of close to 60\u00a0catchments to control erosion. Early Warning Systems were developed and implemented, as well as\u00a0103 automated weather and flood early-warning systems provide data for catchment planning, rainfall prediction, and flood monitoring for five River Basin Development Authorities.<\/p>\n
Interestingly,\u00a0\u201cStorm\u00a0water\u201d\u00a0diversion plans\u00a0are\u00a0in place\u00a0to stop gully formation, manage flood risks in urban areas, and adapt to higher rainfall.<\/p>\n
Since the start of the year, Nigeria has been experiencing prolonged period of extremely hot weather, typically accompanied by high humidity and minimal precipitation. The air temperatures\u00a0have hit 41 degrees\u00a0Celsius\u00a0over the north and 39 degrees\u00a0Celsius\u00a0over the South with model projections indicating\u00a0temperatures\u00a0to remain high in the coming days.<\/p>\n
The weather condition is already playing out as we witnessed delayed rains, energy sector crisis and attendant interrupted power supply as well as skyrocket price of fossil fuel that is making it almost unbearable to provide alternatives.<\/p>\n
Nigeria Metrological Agency (NIMET)\u00a0has been very proactive in its\u00a0mandate\u00a0in recent times; having\u00a0consistently\u00a0drawing\u00a0the attention of both the government and her citizens\u00a0alike\u00a0to this matter by watching out for\u00a0possible dehydration and likely accompany consequences. Experts noted that it was nothing short of the negative effects of global warming and climate change, where human activities are affecting the environment, causing the ozone layer to deplete quick and exposing the earth to direct ultra-violet rays.<\/p>\n
At the Center for Environmental Sustainability and Development Awareness (CESDA), we envision\u00a0a better and safer society that will guarantee sustainable development across Nigeria.\u00a0The current heat wave in Nigeria is symptomatic of broader climate change and global warming trends.\u00a0Nigeria, like many other\u00a0countries of the world,\u00a0is experiencing the impacts\u00a0of climate change\u00a0including extreme temperature, weather patterns and environmental degradation.<\/p>\n
In line with\u00a0the\u00a0Centre goal, CESDA has been in the forefront of campaign for a sustainable environment\u00a0by engaging stakeholders and influencing policies to promote\u00a0good environmental practices\u00a0among Nigerians and institutions\u00a0alike.<\/p>\n
So far, the Centre has\u00a0carried out different activities, ranging from public\u00a0sensitization to raise awareness among Nigerians\u00a0on the implications of environmental\u00a0practices that are detrimental to citizen\u2019s overall\u00a0wellbeing.\u00a0Similarly,\u00a0CESDA has\u00a0also\u00a0conducted\u00a0perception index\u00a0surveys\u00a0on climate change\u00a0to gain an in-depth knowledge on the societal implications and to provide latest and unique data on people\u2019s knowledge and perception on\u00a0the risks associated with climate change and level of their\u00a0commitment to climate action.<\/p>\n
We believe that\u00a0collaborative efforts as stated above would go a long way in mitigating\u00a0the impacts\u00a0of climate change in the Nigeria.\u00a0It is imperative to also\u00a0mention that\u00a0CESDA has kick started its virtual dialogues series targeting various themes on Climate Change.<\/p>\n
The motive behind this conversation is to create awareness on environmental education and prioritize Climate Change\u00a0against the erroneous belief in some quarters that climate change is an issue that\u00a0plagues developed countries.\u00a0The dialogue\u00a0has attracted\u00a0different experts\u00a0and stakeholders across sectors\u00a0of the economy to extensively discussed sundry issues\u00a0around climate change and the environment while proffering far-reaching\u00a0suggestions and recommendations on the way forward.<\/p>\n
Finally,\u00a0while we\u00a0recognize the importance of sustainable development\u00a0and safer environment,\u00a0CESDA is open to collaborations\u00a0with stakeholders to achieve shared goal\u00a0and\u00a0a brighter future for the nation.<\/p>\n\n