Climate Change and Poverty: Assessing Impacts in Nigeria

Abstract

It is an indisputable fact that the global climate is changing. These changes have beenattributed to natural variability and human activity on the environment. Climate change posesserious challe nges and takes centre stage in the global agenda as an issue calling forcorporate strategies and appropriate measures by countries, communities, and individuals.The United Nations and other actors are responding to the challenge with the major focus ont he development of strategies, and policy framework. These approaches are used to attainsustainable community climate related livelihoods. It is on this basis, that this paperexamines climate change and poverty and its impact in Nigeria. It was revealed f rom thestudy that the means of livelihood is being affected by climate change. These impacts are as aresult of devastating effects of flooding, drought, erosion, desertification, sea level rise, heatstress, pests and diseases, erratic rainfall patterns etc. which are all due to climate change.The paper further emphasized the need for climate policy in Nigeria, the establishment ofNigerian Climate Change Commission (NCCC), the development of a national frameworkfor climate change adaptation, and the em bracing of emerging technologies among others. Itshowcased the new role of agricultural extension in the face of climate risk management.These include awareness creation, mobilization, training, assistance, and dissemination ofproven measures of mitigat ion/adaptation to climate change among vulnerable communitiesi n Nigeria.