Improving Urban Residents’ Awareness of the Impact of Household Activities on Climate Change in Lagos State, Nigeria
Chapter One
Aims and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this research work is
- To examine the cause and effect of climate change
- To examine the various household activities that contribute to climate change
- To look into the implications of the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Climate change and its Cause
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) defines climate change as “any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity.”
(IPCC, 2014) have elaborated the definition again on climate change as “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.” Both definitions acknowledge the major cause of climate change is due to human activities that have altered the atmospheric composition. Increase in weather incidents, glaciers melt, sea level rise, change in rainfall patterns and increase in heat stress are projected to rise more severely in the future (Dore, 2005). The fourth Assessment Report (IPCC, 2007) clearly states that the global warming after 1950 is caused by human activities. The increase of anthropogenic gas concentration like Carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) mainly the CO2 is the major cause in the global rise in temperature which creates greenhouse effect resulting in unexpected consequences. Temperature is likely to rise by 2-4 degree Celsius by 2100 with the two-fold increasement in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. This can drive other environmental consequences like increase in evaporation and atmospheric circulation, high precipitation in summer, strong winds and floods (UNFCCC, 2007). Climate change is also having a serious impact on the ocean. The temperature of the upper 300M have rose by 0.3 degree Celsius and the lower 3000M have rose by 0.06 degree Celsius in the past 45 years (Rhein, et al., 2013). The institutional cause of not being able to mitigate the changing atmospheric conditions is due to governance failure. Policies, plans, actions and institutional strategies are focused more on economic growth than environmental changes (Meadowcroft, 2009).
Urbanization and Population Growth in Developing Countries
Urbanisation has been identified as one of the most powerful and visible anthropogenic forces on earth (Dawson et al., 2006; United Nations Habitat Report, 2011). It is a process and outcome of social changes, in-flow and concentration of people and activities in cities (Adeniji & Ogundiji, 2009). The dynamics of the process is driven by changes in population, employment opportunities associated with industrialization, consumption patterns, international migration and accessibility (Dawson et al., 2006). Urban areas account for less than three percent of the earth’s land surface but over fifty percent of the world’s population (United Nation [UN], 2001; Balk et al., 2004). It is estimated that the total population of cities in developing countries will double between 2000 and 2030 (UN, 2004a, 2004b) but their built-up areas will triple from approximately 200,000sqkm to approximately 600,000sqkm (Dodman, 2009). Dodman (2009) also asserts that in industrialized countries, the population of cities will increase by approximately 20 percent whilst their built up areas will increase by 2.5 times from approximately 200,000 sqkm to approximately 500,000 sqkm. Since the industrial revolution, urban centres have concentrated industries, construction, transportation, households and other activities that release large quantities of GHGs (UN-Habitat, 2011). The increasing concentration of population and economic activities in urban centres demands that more land be developed for public infrastructure (e.g. roads, water facilities and utilities), housing industrial and commercial uses (Adeniji & Ogundiji, 2009).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The Study Area
Lagos State is widely acknowledged as the most populous urban centre in Africa, the second fastest growing city in Africa and seventh fastest in the world (Otegbulu et al., 2011). It is among the ten most populous urban centres around the world and projected to be the third in 2015 (UN, 1999 cited in Abiodun, Olaleye, Dokia & Odunaiya, 2011). With a territorial land area of 356,861 hectares (3,577 square kilometres), Lagos State is made up of five administrative divisions, namely Lagos (Eko), Ikeja, Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry and further divided into 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas (Lagosstateonline.com). It has a population figure of 9,013,534 (National Population Commission [NPC], 2006) and population growth rate estimated at about 275,000 persons per annum. Lagos Metropolitan area comprises sixteen local government areas in three administrative divisions and about 85% of the States’ population. It covers only 37% of the land mass giving rise to average population density of about 20,000 persons per square km (Wikipedia). The local government areas that are not part of Lagos Metropolitan Area are Badagry, Ikorodu, Ibeju-Lekki and Epe in Badagry, Ikorodu and Epe divisions.
Study Population
This study focuses on residents in Lagos Metropolitan Area. The map of the local governments in Lagos Metropolitan Area is as shown in Figure 1. One local government area each with highest population was selected from each of the three administrative divisions that make up the Metropolitan Lagos. These are Alimosho, Surulere and Ajeromi-Ifelodun local government areas. The population for this study therefore is the 2,465,794 adult residents of the selected local governments which represents 27.36% of the total population of Lagos State (NPC, 2006).
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Response Rate and Residency Period of Respondents in Lagos State
The spread and rate of response as indicated in Table 2 shows that out of the 600 questionnaires distributed 578(96.33%) were properly completed and returned. The table also shows the period that each of the households has lived in Lagos State though not necessarily in their present locations. Using percentages, the table shows that 249 households have lived in Lagos State for maximum of 15 years and 213 households have been reside ts in the state between 15 years and 30 years while 116 households have been residents in the State for over 30 years. It is therefore presumed that the response rate is significant enough and that the information provided by the residents emanate from their experience and/or observations of weather events over the years and therefore presumed reliable.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This study has examined largely the awareness and understanding of urban population about the causes, contributors and consequences of climate change and show that despite the fact that majority indicate various level of awareness, their understanding of the phenomenon and consequences vary significantly while the knowledge of the causes is generally low. The level of energy demand for household activities in urban centres is substantially augmented with other sources such as petrol, kerosene, diesel, coal and wood due to erratic electricity supply. With increasing urbanization and population growth, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission will increase in developing countries. Of more concern however is that majority of urban population still attribute climate change to natural causes and industrialization as shown in Table 5 and could not understand how household activities contribute to greenhouse gas emission and causes climate change.
Nigeria‟s climate is likely to see growing shifts in temperature, rainfall, storms and sea level throughout the twenty-first century. These climatic challenges, if unaddressed, could throw already stressed resources such as land and water into even shorter supply. Moreover, poor responses to resources shortages could have serious negative secondary effects, including more sickness and hunger, fewer jobs, and poor economic growth. Although inadequate analysis has clouded the picture of how climate change will affect Nigeria‟s environment and resources base.
Since Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), there are obligations to this convention which open up opportunities for benefiting technology transfer and receiving international assistance (including financial) for capacity building to enhance our ability to respond to climate change while nursing sustainable development. Adherent to the Convention and its Protocol (the Kyoto protocol and Clean Development Mechanism, CDM) offers the opportunity for acquiring clean technology and developing more efficient, productive and beneficial ways of utilizing resources, e.g. channeling gas at present being wastefully flared into various industries and downstream uses. Our concern for climate change should stem partly from these strategic considerations.
In order to control household energy consumption pattern in developing countries, proper sensitization of urban residents on causes of climate change, particularly the role of household activities in greenhouse gas emission is very important. Majority of the respondents identify their sources of information as television, radio and newspapers (Table 7). However, it is suggested that climate change education be incorporated in basic, secondary and tertiary school curricula. Moreover, majority of urban residents are living in rented apartment that are either managed by the owner or (professional or quack) agents. The terms of lease agreements most times are concerned with the protection of the subject property from abuse, arbitrary alterations, maintenance and repair as well as rent consideration. Estate surveyors and valuers are deemed to have sufficient basic knowledge about climate change (Otegbulu et al., 2011) and therefore a veritable tool for sensitising urban residents particularly on greenhouse gas emission emanating from household activities. Also advocated is the use of public lectures, seminars organised at local government level as well as sensitization in places of worship. It is anticipated that a lot could be achieved in reducing greenhouse gas emission from household activities in future provided proper sensitization begins now.
Aside raising urban residents’ awareness, there is the need for government of developing and less developed countries to invest in the development and production of economical and environment-friendly alternative sources of household energy such as biomass, natural gas, wind and solar energy in quantity that meet energy demand of the developing countries as this is the only proviso for effective action against climate change. Other areas such as adaptive capacity of urban residents to climate change are open up for further research in this study.
Forest destruction is going on unabated and it is difficult to belief that there is any law protecting forest reserves in the country. There is little or no control of urban spread and among other things dependence on biomass for domestic energy which is on the increase due to rising cost of alternative source of energy. There is a perception that climate change is not such a significant issue which government should care about. It is even suggested that climate change is part of international politics initiated in the west to distract the attention of the developing countries from what should be their primary concern. Rather than talk about climate change the country should focus on such things as production of adequate food for all and supply of portable water. It is unfortunately not understood that in addressing climate change issues, all these needs will in fact become better met in spite of changing climate that are likely to be less favorable.
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