Nigeria: Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
By David Stephen – Climate Change is a phenomenon in these times that holds much risk to man and the environment if the necessary precautions are not taken; disagreements for focus on other issues leave harmonized Climate Change fight to reserve place. Climate Change from human induced Global Warming is an issue that man will battle for some years to come.
Climate Change is a global problem leaving solutions more complicated than if nations were to battle individually. Developed economies with higher Green House Gas (GHG) emissions average compared to most developing economies would have conveniently solved the problem locally without dissenting debates and arguments.
GHGs are responsible to trap heat required to sustain life to the earth’s atmosphere, increase to amounts of these gases will lead to trapping of more heat and change to the general earth Climate. This and harm predicted to come prompts moves to curb GHG emissions and adapt the environment to Climate Change effects.
Nigeria, a top economy in Sub-Saharan Africa has also made moves in this regard to Climate Change mitigation and adaptation. This is seen in moves of smarter grids for power distribution and plans for renewable energy for power generation in the short term.
This and a few more is coming from a government faced with other challenges which can be easily pointed to as more urgent and necessary than Climate Change. With the developing status of the economy, fighting Climate Change may hit rocks if that is just the aim, but Climate Change fight benefiting from advancement of the country will last long.
‘Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation’ is the common term for National Climate Change response globally, this term fits developed economies because of their percentage high emissions (for mitigation) and because of their developed structures that will require slight adjustment in the case of Climate Change effects (adaptation).
Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation I believe should be the appropriate term for developing economies (in Africa) response to Climate Change where Adaptation should come before mitigation. Adaptation because of existing structures that require development to lessen extreme destruction in the case of Climate Change effects; Mitigation should follow because of their percentage small emission average and resources for direct fight.
Nigeria is already responding to Climate Change and will do more effectively over the long term with plans prepared from now. Adaptation however can come with projects in works from now. Mitigation can come gradually by subsuming in long term projections within the next five years.
A research draft titled ‘Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Nigeria’ to be published in the November issue of the International Journal of Current Research presents a look into what should be Nigeria’s response to Climate Change. The paper states in details some ways that are workable and sustainable given Nigeria’s economy and status to fight and adapt to Climate Change.
In a nineteen page submission of four chapters, the draft presents what may look like a report or plan of Nigeria towards Climate Change for the rest of this decade. With adaptation coming first, the paper states ways that Nigeria should fight common environmental issues experienced differently months back in parts of the country.
Floods, erosion and desertification are environmental issues that beset Nigeria perennially; those of this year deviate from the usual magnitude in recent years. Structures to be put in place for this are in works by the government, speed and spread is required to quicken and reach other parts respectively.
This is ‘deadly important’ as the paper states because of the trend of things and projection towards Climate Change in the next 30years. Government should further engage communities and be more available to those that seek their support. Simple and complex solutions should be involved for the short and long term.
Climate Change mitigation involves solutions that have to benefit from advancement of the country, this is so because major mitigation procedures are projects of their class that may require cost to be subsumed in future budgets. Though some are simple solutions, the size of Nigeria in population and land mass will draw cost for these.
With the Nigerian Government willing to increase power generating capacity, renewable and sustainable energy are good options for this; reduced loss in transmission, relatively long life span are advantages these also present for power generation. Energy from Solar, Wind and Biomass are expensive to build and maintain on a large scale but budget from now can be planned by buying bonds and equities to provide funds to finance the project at the time according to the draft.
Engine importation and Carbon Capturing devices are important for future approach to cut emissions within the country. With increased scrutiny on objects containing engines (with regards to emission amounts per time) for importation process and use of carbon capture storage devices, emissions can be reduced by a certain fraction in the country.
Tree planting within cities is widely used as an approach to Climate Change in Nigeria, this should be increased with tress that grow fast in a short time and those calculated to absorb a reasonable part per million by volume amount of carbon dioxide in a short time. This will help absorb emissions in the near environment and help with health concerns according to the draft.
Livestock and Landfills submit amounts of GHG emissions to the environment from most countries yearly; this is the case in Nigeria where nomadic herdsmen sometimes let their livestock dung to the ground where they decompose and contribute methane to the environment. This is similar to some landfills in the country where emissions are let up without adequate covers.
Herdsmen should be given more safety waste bags and existing landfills should be standardized with plans for new ones hastened. These will keep the near environment safe and clean providing cuts to Nigeria’s emission amounts that has stayed second in Africa for some years.
The research draft presents an outlook for the total (or semi-total) outlook to Climate Change in Nigeria; it also relates and differentiates the concept of Global Warming from Ozone Layer. The paper is available for download online and a discussion page for the paper is also available.
Download Links
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Nigeria
http://trpns.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Climate-Change-Mitigation-and-Adaptation-in-Nigeria.pdf
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Nigeria Forum
http://www.formspring.me/gwcch
Related Links
http://trpns.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Climate-Change-Mitigation-and-Adaptation-in-Nigeria.pdf
