Risk Management and Challenges of Climate Change in Nigeria

The world’s climate is changing and will continue to change in the coming century at rates projected to be unprecedented in recent human history. The risks associated with these changes are real but highly uncertain. Societal vulnerability to the risks associated with climate change may exacerbate ongoing social and economic challenges, particularly for those parts of society dependent on resources that are sensitive to changes in climate. The main thrust of this paper is on the risk management and challenges of climate change in Nigeria. It reviews the incidence of climatic change in Nigeria, the vulnerability of Nigeria as a nation to climate change, and the consequences of climate change in Nigeria. The research design approach adopted in this work is the survey research technique. The findings provided the following insights: first, that industrial releases, deforestation, improper sewage disposals are human activities responsible for climate change; secondly, that flooding, drought, erosion, make up the challenges resulting from climate change, and lastly that government/agencies in charge do not really help to reduce the risk associated with climate change in Nigeria. Based on findings obtained , it can be concluded that bush burning, over grazing, gas flaring, CO2 are responsible for Nigeria climate change while creation of environmental/climate refugees, threats to the future of children, reduction in economic growth, increases in diseases, immediate setback on agriculture, loss of biodiversity are some of the challenges as a result of change in climate. Essentially, Nigerian Government should provide solutions to manage the associated risk with climate change in Nigeria like, afforestation programme, good policies, development of biotechnology, integrated climate risk management, and technology that can capture at least 80% of carbon emitted by industries.