Climate change in Northern Nigeria

Following yesterday's featured video on Climate Change in Northern Nigeria, I thought it would be great to expand on this pressing issue. You know sayings like "knowledge is power", and "when you know better you do better"? This is our goal here: to empower our readers to make better lifestyle choices.

Peer reviewed research accepted by the Journal of Geography and Regional Planning concludes that Nigeria's average temperature has risen by 1.7 degrees in the period 1901-2005. This increase has been higher in the semi-arid regions and lower in the coastal zone.

Desertification is a huge threat in Northern Nigeria due to overgrazing and unreliable rainfall. Deforestation is responsible for about 75% of environmental problems in Northern Nigeria. The need for firewood is resulting in deforestation and putting farming activities at risk. Think about it, it's a regular occurrence in Nigeria for people to go to a nearby tree with an axe to cut some firewood to cook dinner. This is seriously harming our environment. Our man must chop mentality needs to change

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According to a 2005 UN Food & Agriculture Organization report, Nigeria has the world's highest deforestation rates of primary forests, putting her on track to lose virtually all of its primary forests within a few years.

Effects of Deforestation
Trees absorb carbon dioxide, and fewer trees means more carbon dioxide in the air leading to the greenhouse effect and global warming. 

Deforestation also leads to reduced biodiversity. As the landscape changes, some plants and animals are unable to survive.

Soil erosion is also accelerated as a result of deforestation. Trees and plants act as a natural barrier to slow water running off the land. This can also result in flooding for a number of reasons:
-less rain water on leaves
-Leaves reduce raindrop impact
-Tree roots absorb water from the soil, making the soil drier.

How to reduce deforestation
-Community effort: Concerned Nigerians need to come together to work towards keeping their local forests sustainable
-Plant more trees (quite obvious huh?)
-Spread awareness
-Use recycled products
-Go paperless: Avoid printing documents unless you have to. Use e-bills.
-Reduce use of timber

Another issue of great concern in Northern Nigeria is desertification, which is as a result of rising temperatures making the edge of the Sahara creep closer to the country. No fewer than 35 million people located in about 10 states in Nigeria are facing threats of hunger and extreme weather conditions due to desert encroachment.

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Residents of these states who depend directly on natural resources and the ecosystem on their livelihood now face drought. Desertification leads to poverty, women being the most vulnerable. It also leads to insecurity, loss of livelihoods and livestock, as well as loss of biodiversity. One of the major causes is deforestation, overgrazing of lands by nomads and careless bush burning.

A couple of policies have been put in place to tackle desertification, one of which is the Land Use Act. This promotes the use of alternative energy to substitute firewood.

Needless to say more, more needs to be done in Northern Nigeria. Pearlle will cover more on this issue in the coming weeks.