Considering the myriad of challenges facing the ordinary person in today’s Nigeria, climate issues are unlikely to be near the top of the list of what bothers such a person. The average citizen in the country will normally regard economic difficulties as a priority to be resolved. Such reasoning cannot be criticized because survival (physiological needs) is the most important and first requirement in the human hierarchy of needs (a long-standing psychological theory).
Meanwhile, a nation’s and its people’s prosperity are heavily reliant on the environment and leadership. On the one hand, the environment contains all natural capital resources for economic activity, such as raw materials for manufacture, environmental goods for rental, food for nourishment and sale, and so on. On the other hand, visionary and viable leaders are required to harness these environmental resources for the nation’s economic gains, which should be sustainable.
Climate change, which has been scientifically and empirically proven, is known to pose serious environmental, social, and economic threats, as evidenced by observed changes such as the warming atmosphere and ocean, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events of unprecedented magnitude and rate over the years. The environment and its resources are the first casualties, with a ripple effect on the economy.
In excessive heat, for example, the land becomes drier, plants and animals become stressed or even die, and food availability is impaired. Furthermore, in the face of an extreme weather event, such as flooding, diseases frequently accompany it, resulting in an unhealthy population of humans, plants, and animals, as well as displacement and disruption of economic activities.
In Nigeria, evidence of climate change can be found in rising temperatures, irregular rainfall, rising sea levels, drought (particularly in the north), land degradation, more frequent extreme weather events, water stress in some areas, and biodiversity loss. The impact can also be seen in the number of displaced people as a result of flooding and other climate-related disasters, declining agricultural yields, and an inadequate capacity to adapt to the impact, particularly in frontline communities.
Therefore, citizens and leaders must be aware of the challenges posed by climate change and understand how it affects the economy and human survival. Regardless of the politics or rhetoric surrounding the issue, citizens have the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Only trustworthy leaders with genuine climate action plans can ensure and lead the people to a climate-resilient Nigeria and demand equity on a global platform.
