Man and Climate Change: a Developmental

Discourse.

Being

A Seminar Presentation

By

Adams Yahaya Adebayo 099086009

In

Sociology of Development {Soc 808}

Course Conveners : Prof. L. Olurode & Dr. F.

Bammeke.

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
 Abstract
No one sat down and made a plan to change the climate. Alas!
Climate change infiltrated our domains, to gradually pilfer our
tranquillity, when we were concentrating on other things. We came
to inhabit a world, which we did not create. Our bid to sustain and
preserve ourselves has been the driving force behind our
explorations in discoveries and inventions (scientifically and /or
otherwise) with which we unfortunately and antinomously, though
myopically, have schemed our self-destructions.

Climatologists have not been able to absolve man of his culpability

on the issue of climate change. Hence, this paper, Man and Climate
Change: a Developmental Discourse, is a dilation on the
phenomenon of climate, and what its change entails. It looked at its
causes, and its effects on humanity in general, and Nigerians in
particular. Policy options emanating from series of international
conventions, as well as international dialectical “politricking” were
not left out. Useful suggestions on possible ways of saving “the
mother earth” from the goddamned doom...

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
Introduction

Humans, the vicegerents of the earth surface for ages, have recently been befallen with cries,
whinings, and wailings (inwardly and outwardly), about the ominous changes of weather.
Some even lament the queer weather conditions as “omens of the Armageddon” – the
purported physical, mental and psychological war, on biblical account, that marks the end of
life on earth.

Scientists (climatologists) have come out with self-indicting explanations that, it is the evils
that men have done for ages, in the name of inventions and discoveries, culminating in
urbanization, industrialization, and social change that haunt them. Human activities on the
earth surface are the harbinger of these horrible situations.

Man in a bid to better his lot have created for himself an invincible ogre-like monster, which
on daily basis makes him to lose sleep. Permit me to borrow a leaf from Majumbar, S. K. et.
al. (1992, p. V.) who stated in their preface, as quoted below.

“It was once thought that the atmosphere was so vast that human activity could not
alter it. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, about two centuries ago, it
is now recognized that there had been a substantial increase in the global
atmospheric content of carbon dioxide (Co2) and other trace gases such as
methane. The concentration of Co2, for example, has been observed to be
increasing at locations as far apart as Mauna Loa in Hawaii and Alert in Canadian
Arctic Archipelago, prompting many climatologists to deduce that global warming
will occur”.
Lindsay, J. M. (1998), in the “wise guide intro” to the section on the environment elucidated
that in the recent years, there has been growing concern that the health of earth is failing. He
went further to state that, the repair of the damages done over the years to stratospheric layer
of ozone that help shield life from (carcinogenic) cancer causing ultraviolet radiation has
been a major global environmental problem. Ozone depletion, according to him, became a

3
Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
prominent global concern in the mid 1980’s, when scientists discovered that, a hole the size
of a continent had appeared in the ozone layer, over Antarctica. From the preceding however,
there’s no gainsaying that remedying the problems is more than herculean. Facts and figures
are indicators that dooms days are ahead for humanity (God forbid! I don’t like sounding this
pessimistic). The quintillion dollars questions are: where do we start from? Can we afford to
live in a warmer globe? How do we reverse the trends of mass migration and extinction of
plants and animals, change in crop yields, coastal flooding, and habitat loss? Are we really on
the threshold of the most dreaded and awe inspiring “Megiddo”? Only time can tell....

What is climate?

At elementary secondary school geographical studies, we were tutored that climate is the
average condition of the atmosphere observed over a period of thirty five to forty (35 – 40)
years. Nevertheless, for the sake of this scholastic work, authorities that are more authentic
have to be deployed. Robinson, P. J. (1992, p. 1.) defined climate as composing of the
interconnected aspects of the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere
which create, maintain and modify the weather and its variability. He further said that climate
is being influenced by all components of the system, acting on various space and time scales.

Mark Twain distinguishing between weather and climate, simply see climate as, some sort of
an average of the weather for over ten (10) years. While he upholds that weather is chaotic,
that it cannot be forecast far into the future, because, a small error can render the exercise
futile, hence climate, which is the weather condition is more reliable (P. 453).

Aguado, E. & Burt, J. E. (2007) formally defined climate as the statistical properties of the
atmosphere. They further stressed that climate is concerned with the long-term behaviour, or
expected (typical) conditions. According to Hornby, A. S. (2004), climate is the regular
pattern of weather conditions of a particular place. Having established some authoritative
definition of climate, a good understanding of the concept of climate change is deemed
necessary. The section below shall harbour dilation on climate change.

What is climate change?

According to Aguado, E. & Burt, J. E. (2007), since climate is the statistical properties of the
atmosphere, its change can simply be defined as the change in any statistical properties of the
atmosphere. In a more succinct way, climate change can be defined according to Aguado, E.

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
& Burt, J. E., as the response of the earth atmosphere system to changes in boundary
conditions.

Boundary conditions include intensity of sunlight, the arrangement of continents and oceans,
the composition of the atmosphere and so on. When one or more of these external factors
changes, the system adjusts accordingly. Thus, for example, Aguado, E. & Burt, J. E. argued
that, if the sun output were to increase, we would expect an increase in global average
temperature. Some years might be cooler than before, but on the average, we would expect a
warmer climate, which is of course, a change in a statistical property. But scepticism created
by possibility of more than one climate for a single set of boundary value in what is known as
intransitivity, makes the preceding to be accepted hook, line and sinker. Aguado & Burt
explained that intransitivity not only obviously complicated the problem of knowing whether
boundary conditions have forced the observed changes but also makes it difficult to ascribe
changes to a particular cause.

In the light of these difficulties, it would be appropriate to broaden our view of climate
change to include all changes, whether driven by boundary values or not. In this regard, we
should rather be bothered with the factors that engender climate change. This would afford us
the privilege of getting down to the brass tacks in the section below.

Climate Change: Any Culprit?

In a bid to proffer an answer to the question of why earth‘s climate has undergone significant
changes of varying magnitude and time scale, over the course of its existence, Aguado &
Burt suggested some possible causes of climate change. These include; variation in the
intensity of radiation emitted by the sun, changes in the earth’s orbit, land surface changes,
and differences in the gaseous and aerosol composition of the atmosphere. They however
indicated that each operate on a different time scale, while many of them operate dependently
and simultaneously. For example, while one agent might be leading to warming another
might counteract or enhance the warming. For detail analysis on these natural causes of
climate change, see Aguado, E. & Burt, J. E. (2007).

Anthropogenic Causes of Climate Change

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
The degree of the indictment of man on the phenomenon of climate change though, has been
subject to serious contestation. The basic truth is that man remains culpable in this issue that
Nazmul Chowdury believes “threatens to make poverty permanent” (Developments 2009, p.
11). In assessing the nature of climate change, Watson, R. T., Zinyowera, M. C., Moss, R. H.,
& Dokken, D. J. (1996, P. 3.) faulted human activities. These, they believe are increasing the
atmospheric concentration of Green House Gases (GHG) - which tend to warm the
atmosphere – and in some regions, aerosols – which tend to cool the atmosphere. To them,
these changes in green house gases and aerosols, taken together, are projected to lead to
regional and global changes in climate related parameters such as temperature, precipitation
(rain, snow, etc), soil moisture and sea level. Green House Gases (GHG) such as Carbon IV
Oxide (CO2), Nitrous Oxide (NO2), Methane (CH4), Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC),
Perfluorocarbon (PFC), and Sulfurhexafluoride (SF6), raise the earth surface’s temperature by
letting solar radiation through, while blocking the reflection of infrared radiation back into
space, as a green house does. Oyebanjo (2010) believes that the green house effect is
uncontestable, as without it, the earth would have been 33 degrees cooler. We average 15
degrees now, but would have been -18 degrees. This is to suggest that green house gases are
not without their own benefits. What appears to be more contentious is the question of who is
to be held responsible, as the appellation “man” is fundamentally amorphous. The advanced
societies are shying away from responsibility, and this constitutes part of the matters that are
raised in next section on climate change: mitigation or curation.

Climate Change: Mitigation or Curation – Matters Arising.

Repetto, R. & Lash, J. (1998) have made many cases for climate change in their work titled
“Planetary Roulette: Gambling with the Climate” where issues confronting United Nation
Framework for Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) were stated to include:

1. The global environment facing unprecedented risks.

2. Reduction of dependence on fossil fuels that have powered the world economy
since the industrial revolution.

3. New economic and political relations between the world’s developed North and
developing South.

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
 4. Potential burdensome restrictions on nation’s economic sovereignty.

What motivated these negotiations includes the fact that green house gas emissions, if left
unchecked, will make the climate to be more irredeemably worse than our present
experience. This is evident by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report,
in its assessment, that the warming will continue and be worse irreversibly for centuries after
accumulation stops, because, the oceans store a huge amount of heat. It is on record that
United States, Poland, and Czech Republic experienced devastating flood in 1996. Intense
hurricane and cyclones like those that hit Florida and the Caribbean are likely to; occur more
frequently. A live CNN broadcast has the following report:

China mudslides killed more than 1,000 people penultimate weekend.

Sequel to a very serious down pour, the death toll in a mudslide that buried
a bus and five cars on a Guatemalan highway rose to 36, on Sunday, 29/08/10,
but could reach 100, the nation's Emergency Services Agency said. In
addition, 30 people are injured and 40 are missing after heavy weekend rains
caused landslides across Guatemala, said emergency spokesman David De
Leon Villeda. Thousands of homes, in addition to infrastructure and fields of
crops, also were damaged by the heavy rains, Colom said. Nearly 42,000
people have been affected and more than 10,000 have been evacuated from the
area, De Leon Villeda said. Nearly 7,000 people are housed in shelters. The
torrential downpours come several months after more than 150 people died
when Tropical Storm Agatha hit Guatemala in May. Destruction from that
storm was widespread throughout the nation, with mudslides destroying homes
and buildings and burying some victims. At least nine rivers had dramatically
higher levels and 13 bridges collapsed, Guatemala's emergency services
agency said. President Alvaro Colom declared a national emergency Saturday.
The May downpours created a sinkhole the size of a street intersection in
northern Guatemala City. Residents told CNN that a three-story building and
a house fell into the hole.

Climate calculations are that while the Bangladesh’s case was being depicted with sea level
rising at a rapid rate of 20 cm over the 20th century in Asia, the homes of 94 million people
could be flooded by the end of the century, leading to large-scale migration (Developments
2009. p.12). Climate calculations also had it that temperature in 2100 could be up to 5.8°
higher than in 1990, if emissions aren’t curbed by now (Developments 2009. p.14).
Moreover, climate calculations are that, the areas of the world stricken by drought has
doubled between 1970 and the early 2000s. Furthermore, that in Africa, fertile lands are
already turning to deserts. By 2020, climate change is predicted to reduce some African
farming harvests by 50% (Developments 2009. p.15) [though, this paper is titled Man and

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
 Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse, I plead for the discontinuation of these doom-
sayings, for the stated ones are just tips off the iceberg – in fact, infinitesimal to the facts
and figures available for this purpose – but for textual economy...].

The implications of these climate calculations and experiential phenomena are not
inconspicuous to every discerning mind. Hence, time-effective panaceas are in fact long
overdue. The only way out of these historical cul-de-sacs is the stabilization of the
atmospheric concentrations of green house gases. Repetto and Lash (1998) suggested that,
that would ultimately require reducing current global emissions by 50 to 60 percent over the
next century, even as population and economic output grow. This, according to Repetto and
Lash is no small task. It involves the replacement of coal and oil with natural gas – a low
carbon fuel, and non-carbon energy sources such as electricity, solar, wind, and nuclear
energy.

They further suggested that by raising the fossil fuel price and by imposing carbon taxes,
the change could be effected. They are however; quick to point out that the above
suggestion/recommendation has serious economic implications:

• Energy-intensive industries would face higher costs; coal, the most carbon –intensive
fuel would be virtually phased out.

• Coal and oil exporting countries would lose markets (our dear country, Nigeria, the
sleeping giant of Africa inclusive), and consumers’ (Nigerians inclusive), cost of
living would rise. Inevitably, according to and Lash, economic losers would be
created from the adjustments in entire industries, regions, and nations. A very
pertinent question here is, who are the winners and who are the losers?

Winners and losers

“Different strokes for different folks” goes the saying. The dire need for carbon cutting
mentioned above, sounded different tunes to different dancers in the international economic

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
 dance floor. While stakeholders are bifurcated into the camps of winners and losers, Repetto
and Lash argued that the fear of loss and not the hope of gain have dominated industrial
strategies. However, winners would inadvertently emerge.

To start with, producers of alternative energy and of energy saving products (such as
inverters, Uninterruptible Power Supply Devices UPS, and rechargeable batteries etc.)
would gain attractive incentives from hike in fuel price. Humanity stands to gain from the
reduction of coal and oil combustion because health and environmental damages would
reduce without the need for pollution control equipments.

On the losing camp are international political gladiators, who have continuously defied
emission-cut agreements owing to their massive industrial concern. They instead have
resorted to peek-a-boo. For example, many United States policy makers, unmindful of the
circa 22% of the global carbon dioxide emission of the United States, opposed any carbon
cut, unless developing countries, the least emitters but the hardest hit, also limit emissions
(Repetto & Lash, 1998 ).

Reacting to this intrigue, developing countries reiterate that they should not be held
responsible for solving a problem that they did not create. They argued, rich countries can
afford to cut back on their lavish energy consumption, but the developing world needs more
energy in order to eliminate wide spread poverty. Although international cooperation is
essential, countries’ interests differ depending on whether they have coal, oil, gas, hydro-,
or nuclear energy resources or none. Whether their industries are energy-, labour-, or
technology—intensive; and whether; geography, current climate, and economic structure
make them more or less vulnerable to the foreseeable effects of climate change.

On why tackling climate change is fundamental to development and fighting poverty,

Okonjo-Iweala, N. (2008), argues the climate change has the potential to reverse much of
the hard-earned progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals,
including the goals of eradicating poverty, combating communicable diseases, and
achieving environmental sustainability.

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
Highlight of Sources of Greenhouse Gases as Documented on the Kyoto Protocol

The under listed is an excerpt from Annex A of the Protocol of Kyoto International
Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto, Japan, in 1998, itemizing the green house gases and
their sources.
Annex A
Greenhouse gases
Carbon dioxide (C02)
Methane (CH4)
Nitrous oxide (N20)
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)

Sectors/source categories
Energy
Fuel combustion
Energy industries
Manufacturing industries and construction
Transport
Other sectors
Other

Fugitive emissions from fuels

Solid fuels
Oil and natural gas
Other

Industrial processes
Mineral products
Chemical industry
Metal production
Other production
Production of halocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride
Consumption of halocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride
Other
Solvent and other product use

Agriculture
Enteric fermentation
Manure management
Rice cultivation
Agricultural soils
Prescribed burning of savannas
Field burning of agricultural residues
Other

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
Waste
Solid waste disposal on land
Wastewater handling
Waste incineration
Other

The Effects of Climate Change on Nigeria

Consideration of the effect of climate change on Nigeria would be anchored on
preliminary studies conducted by Nigeria Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST)
(www.nestinteractive.org), on the vulnerability of some sectors of the Nigerian economy
to climate change in more disturbing scenarios, identified by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2007) . The basic truth is that virtually all the sectors of
the Nigerian economy are prone to vulnerability to climate change. None were
unaffected, nor will remain unaffected in future by changes to climatic conditions.
Indications are that the climate system is more sensitive than originally thought. For the
avoidance of doubt, going by the piece below, it can be expressly stated that effects of
climate change in Nigeria is impregnated with myriads of sociological implications.

Human settlements in Nigeria have always been and will be affected by climate change
in a variety of ways. Urban and rural population concentrations will be disrupted,
particularly along the coastline due to sea-level rise and related phenomena. Some
settlements are known to have already relocated farther inland from their original sites in
response to sea incursion over some decades. Population displacement and migration
from, and to, various human settlements are likely to arise from either or both of drought
incidence in the Northern States of the country and accelerated sea level rise in the
coastal regions. Rises in sea-level have and will continue to threaten urban and rural
infrastructural facilities in low lying coastal regions.

Extreme climate conditions such as high wind, heavy rainfall, heat and cold can result in
wide-ranging scenarios such as tropical storms, floods, landslides, droughts and sea-level
rise. Climatic catastrophes induce populations to be displaced (or decimated by death),
which in turn can lead to conflict and civil unrest. As well, the public health
infrastructure would be eroded if resources are diverted from its maintenance to disaster
recovery. Communities and government would be burdened with having to make
reparations to individuals for property damage and loss, unemployment, clean-up, and

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
 reduced socioeconomic viability of the communities affected {only feasible with good
governance in place}.

Pests and diseases are implicated in climate change. Significant climatic conditions such
as temperature, precipitation, sunshine and wind can fuel the spread of pests and
diseases. Food crops are affected by their presence (creating economic problems because
of low agricultural yields and food shortages, as well as human population problems
such as malnutrition). Pests and diseases can adversely affect animal husbandry; it also
cause human suffering (for example, malaria, cholera, typhoid and dengue fever) which
in turn affects the effectiveness and productivity of Nigeria's labour force.

A number of indirect impacts of climate change on human health were identified. It is

trite that Nigerians already suffer from nutritional imbalances. Climate change will not
only have a deleterious effect on food security. A shift could occur in the location of
some vector-borne diseases, such as malaria (mosquitoes), sleeping sickness (tsetse fly),
Lassa fever (rodents) etc. In response to shifts in the patterns of rainfall and temperature;
mosquitoes currently thrive in locations where water logging and poor drainage typify
the landscape. High flood frequency and water-logging due to climate change in
ecozones hitherto unassociated with malaria will enhance the breeding of mosquitoes
and thus the spread of malaria. Malaria will also increase due to the preponderance of
stagnant pools of water resulting from sea-level rise related flooding. New evidences
with respect to micro-climate change due to land-use changes such as swamp
reclamation and deforestation suggest an increase spread of malaria to new areas (Munga
et al, 2006; IPCC, 2007).

Direct impacts include health problems induced by increasing incidences of heat waves.
These could lead to more cases of cerebro-spinal meningitis (CSM), which today is
found to correlate positively with the highest maximum temperature of the northern
winter season, and inversely with absolute humidity to a lesser, although still significant,
extent. Currently, this health condition is a feature of Nigeria's dry belt represented by
the Sudan Sahelian region of the country, and occurs in the peak of the dry season. The
occurrence of skin cancer from direct ultra-violet radiation could become more common,
as could increase incidences of cardiovascular respiration disorders.
On the whole, a 2005 evaluation of Nigeria, along side other 23 countries in the Sub-

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
 Saharan Africa projected that meeting of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG),
particularly with respect to child and maternal health, will elude the country because of
climate change and other multiple stresses (UNDP, 2005; IPCC, 2007).

There are gender considerations in assessing vulnerability. Women do most of the

farming in some parts of the country (rural Anambra, Benue, Cross River; urban Lagos;
urban and rural: Kwara, Ogun, Imo, Ondo, Oyo and Rivers), as well as fishing. Recent
studies (Folorunsho, 1992 and Ojo and Folorunsho, 1993) found that 90% of women
involved in fish processing in urban areas use firewood or wood products in their
activities. Fuel wood is also used extensively in food processing, and in domestic
activities that are dominated by women. Collection of firewood under conditions of heat
stress could impact more on the health of women and children who are more involved in
this activity than men.

Changes in weather and climate have been known to profoundly influence water resources, a
factor that increases the vulnerability of humans to infections.

Fishing and fisheries are important occupation and operations that provide income,
employment and proteins to Nigerians. In a situation of global warming of between 1.5° –
2°C, fisheries in Northern Nigeria, as in other northern parts of West Africa, would evidently
be impacted (IPCC, 2007)

Nigerians do not enjoy adequate water supply. The existing permanent water sources in the
country such as the transboundary rivers are shared with other countries in the sub-region.
The problem of water shortage is more prominent and severe in the northern areas of the
country that have limited sources of water and harsh weather conditions.

The low-lying nature of Nigeria's 800 km coastline from Lagos to Calabar makes the region
vulnerable to climate change. It is prone to sea-water intrusion into coastal fresh water
resources and consequently inland fisheries and aquaculture are negatively affected. There is
a high frequency of coastal erosion and flooding both climate change-induced forms of land
degradation.

Drought – the total absence of rain for a very long time to the detriment of agricultural and
other water related activities – is of concern. It leads to a distortion of seasonal patterns

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
(which drastically affects agricultural yield) and increased incidence of soil erosion caused by
excessive flooding and sporadic storm. For example, twenty-three local government areas in
Sokoto State, Nigeria, are presently seriously affected by flood as at press report on Sunday
29th August 2010, in the same way it is affecting some communities in Lagos State. The
devastating effect of flooding did not just start. Two drought incidences in Nigeria in the
1960s and 1970s led to the death of millions of cows, goats and sheep, while the production
of foodstuff such as cereals and other products were seriously affected). An increase in soil
erosion clearly affects water resources, as siltation affects the level and volume of stream,
lakes and ponds. Other factors such as increased desert encroachment and excessive heat
have an inescapable impact on humankind and water-use.

Climate change has brought about changes in rainfall patterns, changes in the water
level/volume of ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and frequency of storms and
drought. These undoubtedly have many implications for the availability of water that
sustain life in the country.

Deficiencies in freshwater availability will worsen the already poor sanitary and
health conditions in these areas; as well, uncontrolled disposal of wastewater and
human wastes will result in a deterioration in water quality leading to high organic
levels in surface and ground water thereby increasing epidemics of water-borne
diseases such as cholera, hepatitis, typhoid and malaria.
Our coastal zones and marine eco-systems are not spared. The coastal zone is an
amalgamation of a variety of ecosystems, the most notable being the Niger Delta.
Other distinguishable ecosystems are fluvial, estuary, lagoon, creek, mangrove
swamp, beach and surf zones, and offshore. All of these areas offer sanctuary and
habitat for diverse biological life. This rich biodiversity of the inshore coastal
systems and offshore counterparts are likely to be sensitive to climate change in
different respects.

Climate Change phenomenon affects agriculture in a number of ways. For example,

uncertainties in the onset of the farming season, due to changes in rainfall
characteristics (early rains may not be sustained, and crops planted at their instance
may become smothered by heat waves) can lead to an unusual sequence of crop

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
 planting and replanting which may result in food shortages due to harvest failure.
Extreme weather events such as thunderstorms, heavy winds, and floods, devastate
farmlands and can lead to crop failure. Pests and crop diseases migrate in response to
climate changes and variations (e.g. the tsetse fly has extended its range northward)
and will potentially pose a threat to livestock in the drier northern areas. It is
estimated that by 2100, Nigeria and other West African countries are likely to have
agricultural losses of up to 4 % of GDP due to climate change (Mendelsohn, et al,
2000). Parts of the country that experienced soil erosion and operate rain-fed
agriculture could have decline in agricultural yield of up to 50 % between 2000 –
2020 due to increasing impact of climate change (Agoumi, 2003; IPCC, 2007).

The Way Forward

The way out of this historical cul de sac can be approached at both governmental and
individual levels. It shall be such treated in this piece, the high point of which are:

 Reduction of global emission of carbon by 50% to 60% over the next century.

 Adoption of the use of natural gas, a low carbon fuel instead of coal and oil.

 The use of non-carbon energy sources such as hydro-electricity, solar energy, and
nuclear energy.

To start with, the Federal Government of Nigeria must begin to look at the potential
opportunities for Nigeria to derive maximum benefits from the outcome of the recently
concluded United Nations Framework Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) in
Copenhagen, Denmark. Nigerians have to be sensitized on the issue of climate change, with
serious and massive campaign (as aggressive as political campaign, - not minding the cost),
because nothing is as expensive as ignorance. In other words, the generality of Nigerians
need to be widely aware of changes in the global world they live in. In fact, the required
transformation (adaptation and mitigation) would be impossible, without adequate
information. To achieve an optimum benefit for Nigeria, not only is it imperative that policy
makers fully understand the social, economic, environment, financial, technological and
political issues around the subject, but the generality of Nigerians need to be widely aware of
changes in the global world they live in, especially as regard energy issues.

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
According to Oyebanjo, I. (2010), African leaders should not allow parochialism, nepotism,
anachronism, egotism, self-aggrandizement and quota system to rob them of the benefits that
they stand to gain from the series of climate talks. He advised the Nigeria government to start
taking a critical look at the issue, and as well constitute a professional panel of local scientists
to study and partner with their foreign counter parts to be able to adequately respond to
challenges as it might arise and affect the country, as well as the continents.

The need for international cooperation was even underscored at the Kyoto International
Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto, Japan, in 1998. Nigeria, though not a signatory to the
Kyoto Ratification (Source: United Nations Kyoto Protocol’s Status of Ratification, July,
2006) stands to benefit immensely from the Kyoto protocol, as do other Less Developed
Countries.

The following (sections d. and e. ) were excerpted under the Article 10 of the Kyoto Protocol,
where international cooperation was invoked as possible ways out of the problems associated
with climate change.

(d) Cooperate in scientific and technical research and promote the

maintenance and
the development of systematic observation systems and development
of data archives to reduce
uncertainties related to the climate system, the adverse impacts of
climate change and the
economic and social consequences of various response strategies, and
promote the development
and strengthening of endogenous capacities and capabilities to
participate in international and
intergovernmental efforts, programmes and networks on research and
systematic observation,
taking into account Article 5 of the Convention;

(e) Cooperate in and promote at the international level, and, where

appropriate, using
existing bodies, the development and implementation of education
and training programmes,
including the strengthening of national capacity building, in particular
human and institutional
capacities and the exchange or secondment of personnel to train
experts in this field, in particular
for developing countries, and facilitate at the national level public
awareness of, and public
access to information on, climate change. Suitable modalities should
be developed to implement
these activities through the relevant bodies of the Convention, taking
into account Article 6 of

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
 the Convention;

The Need for Change in Life Styles

It may be surprising that the solution to the highly dreaded effects of global warming is
as cheap as the air we breathe, provided that we can take some precautionary steps in the
direction of our life adjustment both at home and outside our homes. However, some of
the prescription below proffered by Tear Fund, a registered conservation charity in
England, may not be practicable in Nigeria of today, because of the level of our
existential condition and technological attainments.

Simple lifestyle changes you can make

A quarter of the UK's emissions come from households. This means we all need to make
lifestyle changes if we're serious about addressing climate change. The good news is that
there are lots of simple things you can do!

• Switching to a green energy provider.

• Use of energy-saving lightbulbs such as LED lights - they use 80 per cent less
electricity and last 12 times longer than ordinary bulbs.
• Turning off of our lights and electrical appliances at the mains when leaving our
homes. Standby can use between 30 and 70 per cent of the energy used when an
appliance is on.
• Turning down our central heating thermostat – lowering the temperature by just a
degree can cut 10 per cent off energy bills.
• Replacing our electrical appliances with the most energy-efficient models.
• Boiling the water that we need for our cup of tea. If everyone boiled just the water
they needed, the energy saved could power more than three-quarters of our streetlights.
• Recycling – landfills are the second largest source of methane emission in the UK.
Most local councils in the United Kingdom provide facilities for the recycling of
papers, cardboards, bottles, cans and plastics.
• Reduction in the frequency of travel by air is commendable, as well as taking a walk
to the neighbourhood, instead of cruising on a carbon emitting car

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
 Switching to a green electricity provider
By switching to a green electricity
provider you can cut your home carbon
dioxide emissions. UK companies
Conclusions
generate electricity directly from nature:

Inventions and discoveries are celebrated by wind farms, solar panels and small
humanity as the victories of man over nature. hydroelectric power schemes.
This might probably be true. I would like to
however, seek the privilege of holding a
contrary view, without being pilloried or
castigated for heretic inclination, as was Galileo Galilee in 15th century. Inventions and
discoveries are not victorious acts. And, if they are, they are pyrrhic victories, as they are
mostly responsible for the woes that betide man... think about it!

Advanced nations of the northern hemisphere should own up to climate change being
the brainchild of their Frankenstein monster out of their control, and stop dodging
away from emission cutting which ought to be outright and total in the interest of the
planet earth. The implication of this, quite understood as, though not so favourable
economically, but are logically and humanely sound, as it would not behove good
leadership of the G8 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United
Kingdom of Great Britain , and the United States of America) to hold over 180
countries of the world to ransom, health wisely, food wisely, or rather all wisely. Of
what use are the global economic summits which are abound in the contemporary
world, if they cannot be converted to the amelioration of human existential conditions.

The discovery of hole in the sky over the Antarctica, the size of a continent (Dowie,
1998) is instructive, that probably, it is man’s inordinate acts (of transgression) that
would utterly obliterate life out of the earth crust, not even any world war, nor the
mythical Armageddon.

Capitalism or succinctly put, the institution of private property is

truly the harbinger of the “mess” in which man is being enmeshed, -
an historical bottomless pit, the exit of which is transcendental. With
industrialization and mechanization came the employment life
styles, which begot: the pollution of our land, air, water and food.
Not only these, energy crisis, disease, and reoccurring financial
crisis, among many other known and unknown vices, all of who have

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
 war of all against the eldest and the commander of all, by rule of
primogeniture.

It is however relevant for the record that new technology (as

clamoured by modernization theorists, the apostles of technological
transfer), Jobs, money, e.t.c. are not the solutions. They only create
more problems and make human beings to continue struggling in
the proverbial trace race.

Going green and carbon cutting is the bottom line of this piece.

Reference

Aguado , E. & Burt, J. E. (2007). Understanding Weather and Climate (4th Edition), New
Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Building Nigeria's Response To Climate Change (BNRCC), Climate Change in Nigeria,

Vulnerability, Impact and Adaptation. Ibadan, Nigeria. (2008).

Chowdury, N. (2009). Fighting Climate Change and Poverty. Developments, Issue 46, 2009.
p. 11

Dowie, M. (1998). A Sky Full of Holes, in Lindsay, J. M. Perspectives: Global Issues.

Boulder: Coursewise Publishing Incorporated.

Hornby, A. S. (2004). Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, (Sixth Edition). Oxford:

Oxford University Press.

Lindsay, J. M. (1998). Perspectives: Global Issues. Boulder: Coursewise Publishing

Incorporated.

Majumbar, S. K. et. al. (1992). Global Climate Change: Implications, Challenges, and
Mitigation Measures. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Academy of Science.

Okonjo-Iweala, N. (2008). The Greening of the World Bank. Developments, Issue 42, 2008.
p. 14.

Oyebanjo, I. (2010). Climate Change: What Nigeria Must Do! Future Science & Technology,
United Kingdom: Wednesday, January 20, 2010.

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse
Watson, R. T., Zinyowera, M. C., Moss, R. H., & Dokken, D, J. (1996). Climate Change
1995: Impact, Adaptations and Mitigation of Climate change; Scientific Technical
Analyses, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Robinson, P. J. Global Warming, in Majumbar, S. K. et. al. (1992) Global Climate Change:
Implications, Challenges, and Mitigation Measures. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania
Academy of Science.

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Man and Climate Change: a Developmental Discourse