Herald Journal of Geography and Regional Planning Vol. 2(2), pp. 089- 097 June, 2013
Available online: http://heraldjournals.org/hjgrp/archive.htm
Copyright (c) 2013 Herald International Research Journals
Review
Adapting to climate change in developing countries: a review of strategies, constraints and development in Nigeria
1Ojekunle Z.O*, 2Amujo B.T, 3Ojekunle V.O, 2Dada E.O, 1Sangowusi R.O, 2Nasamu R.E and 4Ojo O
1Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
2Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State, Nigeria.
3Tianjin University, Tianjin, P.R. China
4University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
*Corresponding Author e-mail: [email protected]
Accepted 10 May, 2013
This paper has attempted to incorporate the concept of variability and vulnerability into the debate over the paths to sustainability. It highlights the spatiality of sustainability, using mitigation and adaptability in developing countries and most especially Nigeria as a case study. It argued that environmental improvement in some Nigeria cities has led to environmental degradation due to poverty, lack of information, politics and ownership right and land tenure system and the likes. This review is supported by the close spatial relationship between equity, technology, infrastructure, information and skills. Most Nigeria cities suffer from environmental poverty, defined as the lack of the healthy environment needed for society's survival and development as a direct result of environmental degradation caused by human activities. It highlights the importance of political power and ownership right as determinants of adaptive measures which infact affect different cities in Nigeria. The tickles effects may cause severe pre-emptive and adaptive environmental and economic disparities. Level of adaptation is positively related to income at the early stage of development, but negatively related at later stages, leading to severe skewed adaptive disparity. The study perspective helps reveal the varied possible paths and outcomes in Nigeria as some places get poorer and more vulnerable while other places get wealthier and less vulnerable. The powerful and wealthy may achieve rapid economic growth and environmental recovery at the expense of the powerless and poor. To avoid these risks of adaptive disparities, regions should seek alternatives that would be more likely to enable them to achieve coordinated development that evades environmental vulnerability and extreme variability, while achieving economic growth through proper adaptive strategies. The paper supports the idea that social determinants of equity, such as poverty reduction, access to economic resources, improvement in technology as well as proper information and trained of skill manpower will help in no small measure at reducing the constraints experienced with Climate Change. Further research will need to expand the scope of inquiry to test for cities which are still in the early stages of development; the assumptions may be used as a tool for generating future scenarios.
Keywords: Adaptation, Mitigation, Risks, Sustainability, Variability, Vulnerability.
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