Nigeria Experiences Ecological Disasters Exacerbated by Climate Change

Nigeria is experiencing ecological disasters, including drought and desertification, which have negative impacts on the welfare of millions of people. The country's semi-arid regions in the north are more vulnerable to drought than the more humid regions in the south. Droughts in Nigeria have a 30-year and 10-year cycle, with regional and localized impacts respectively. The impacts of drought can be severe for vulnerable groups, including physical and ecological impacts, as well as socioeconomic impacts. Since the 1970s, the Sahel region has been prone to drought and famine, with drought events becoming more frequent due to climate variability. Nigeria ranks 154th out of 185 countries in terms of vulnerability to climate change and readiness to confront the threat. The direct and indirect impacts of droughts have been enormous, including environmental degradation, crop failure, loss of livestock, human displacement, and diseases outbreak.