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Climate change is as any change in climate overtime, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity. On the other hand, climate change is the change of climate attributed to human activity that alters the composition of the atmosphere globally and which in addition to natural climate variability is observed over comparable time periods.

 

The psychology of climate change is the study of the interplay between individuals and the four spheres of the environment – the ATMOSPHERE, and its effects manifest in the other three spheres where man carry out his day-to-day activities – the HYDROSHERE and LITHOSPHERE, and where he lives – the BIOSPHERE.

 

 

Over the years, changes in climate condition occur as a result of two constant factors; the natural factors and the human factors respectively. The natural factors are to the extreme as they are beyond man’s control. On the contrary, the human factors are to an extent under man’s control. The two factors interact to cause climate and environmental changes which have adverse effects on the existence of man on earth. Such human factors in Nigeria include; air, water, and land pollution in no particular order, deforestation, combustion, mission of carbon monoxide, oil spillage, land-use change connected to urbanization and human settlement in the country, and harmful gases flared by small and large scale industries which we call industrial pollution. The natural factors in Nigeria include; ocean variations, solar variations, thermohaline circulations only. You may want to ask why tectonic plate was exempted. This is because the underlying tectonic plates in Nigeria’s crust are not drifting, that is, not moving. So therefore they are not recognized as natural factor contributing to climate change in Nigeria.

    Nigeria is divided into six geopolitical zones which are; the North-east, North-west, North-central, South-west, South-south, and the South-east. Each geopolitical zone is known for its vegetative feature. And vegetation usually depends on the climate zone of the country. This brings about vegetation belts in Nigeria which reflect the tight link between the vegetation and its climate. The north-east is known to be a short grass savannah, the north-west and north-central are jointly known for tall grasses and woodland, the south-west is known as a rainforest. For the south-south, it is known as a fresh water swamp while the south-east is known as a mangrove or swampy region. There are key climate change indicators collectively in multiple geopolitical zones or vegetative belts as the case may be. In some regions, an indicator to climate change is increasing temperature. To other regions, increasing rainfall intensity is the key climate indicator. These indicators bring about the first issue to understanding the psychology of climate change in the Nigerian context.

 

 

The above phrase is akin to the impacts of climate change tentatively to citizens of Nigeria. It is already known that greenhouse effect which is synonymously to climate change effects is caused by natural factors but the greenhouse gases are anthropogenic. The depleted greenhouse gases were meant to serve as protective cover for the world in general. The impacts of these depleted gases which result in climate change is visible in agriculture, the once backbone of Nigeria’s economy, thereby affecting economic growth and sustainable development.

 

In terms of its impacts on agriculture, incidences of climate change do not exclude changes in quality of the soil in Nigeria, changes in soil moisture, crop resilience, length of growing seasons, yield of crops and animals, atmospheric temperature, weed insurgence in farms, flooding which results to erosion of farmlands, drought, with all being inclusive. With the increase in rainfall in coastal regions of the country, there are certainties of increase in rainfall in the humid region of southern Nigeria, accompanied by increased cloudiness during severe storms. Similarly, the savannah zone in northern Nigeria is expected to experience more of little or no rainfall couple with temperature increase and reduced soil moisture even though it persists. It should be known that increased temperatures accompanied by decrease in availability of water reduce the length of growing seasons and crop yield turnover which is detrimental to hardworking subsistent and commercial farmers. It also affects possible farmlands for cultivation negatively which further affects food security in the entire nation adversely. With the agriculture sector as a target, there is no way Nigeria would be able to export food, cash and arable crops to other countries like she used to do.

 

This in turn makes the national account book unbalanced because Nigeria would be forced to rely on imported agricultural products which causes unfavourable balance of payment. So therefore, Nigeria become malnourished if she decides to stick with little or no local harvest, sickness and diseases aftermath, economically retarded as hard-won gains are eroded which seriously undermine prospects for development.

 

 

 

Prevention they say is better than cure but striving to cure the ailment is worth trying. The challenges imposed by climate change as stated above sound a note of warning about drying lakes in the country, hunger, poverty, diseases, migration, of citizens, reduced river flow in meanders, low water supply for agricultural use, declining agricultural productivity, increasing incidence of diseases, increased risk if death, and the fast rising number of heat waves in the country.

 

With drying lakes and dams like Lake Kainji, there would be problems with the hydroelectric power supply in the country. Also, drought will persist in the Sahel region, water will flood streets in the coastal region and off-season rains will send growing season packing in the north central until Nigeria arise and take a stand in curbing the effects of climate change from the psychological ground. This reawakening would be of help to having an impact on the aforementioned natural factors contributing to climate change in the country.

 

As stated earlier, climate change effects that have to do with natural causing factors are beyond control. The green house gases that deplete daily result from human activities. Much work needs to be done as touching the human (anthropogenic) activities. The first step to tackle the issue of climate change or minimizing its effects in Nigeria is by putting legal and institutional mechanism in place. As deforestation, industrial releases, improper sewage disposal, land pollution, and oil spillage extraneously contribute to climate change in the country, the need for implemented laws to come in play. The first step towards reducing or minimizing climate change and its effects is by moving away from fossil fuels. Nigeria was known to fully rely on agriculture back in the days. An alternative to sustaining the nation’s economy is by retaining renewable energies like solar, wind, biomass and geothermal energy. In addition, if there is no law against improper air, water, and land pollution, then a call for one is voiced. When there is law, offenders can easily be pinpointed. There should be zero tolerance to cutting down of trees because trees serve as wind breakers in the community. The exploitation of forests has a major role in climate change. Trees help regulate the climate by absorbing carbon (IV) oxide from the atmosphere. When they are unlawfully cut down, the benefit is lost and the carbon stored in trees is released into the atmosphere. Encouraging better use of natural resource, stopping massive deforestation as well as making agriculture greener and more efficient should be prioritized.

 

Furthermore, oil spillages should be curbed. Oil spillages could be curbed if the federal government meet up with international standards of oil pipes in the country. It is proven that most pipelines in use in Nigeria are about 20 to 25 years with some being constructed far back as in the 1960s and early 1980s as compared to global pipelines replaced after 15 to 20 years in First and Second World countries. In some cases, most pipelines in Nigeria are laid above ground level without adequate surveillance, exposing them to wear and tear. This gives room to corrosion and leakages of pipelines in the country.

 

 

Moreover, as adopting consumption habits is crucial, so also is recycling of wastes and waste products important. It is imperative to know that not every waste material should be set ablaze as it could be recycled for better purpose. In spite of this, local institutes should be established to monitor individuals, firms, and industries as regard pollution and combustion of any sort.

 

The next step to embark on is far more important than the above steps. This step requires the locals of Nigeria to work with international institutes as regard climate change. The prominent of the international institutes Nigeria could work with is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Interventions to cope with climate change impacts require engagement of stakeholders at local, national, and international levels. Adaptation requires active involvement of different actors and responses at multiple levels.

 

 

In conclusion, Nigeria should focus on tertiary economic activities which generate little greenhouse gases and development should be limited to likely areas to be flooded. Nigeria should develop a cleaner source of energy instead of her over reliance on fossil fuel energy that generates greenhouse gases. Nigeria should also develop a technology that can capture at least 80% of carbons emitted by industries which are discharged into the atmosphere. Spaces in rural or urban settings should be demarcated for compulsory tree planting. And the most vital of all, there should be public awareness on the dangers associated with climate change.