Community perception of deforestation and climate change in Ibadan, Nigeria

The studies of urban climate are attracting significant attention in the present dispensation due to the global impacts of climate change, induced mostly by anthropogenic activities. This study examines the community perception of deforestation and climate change in Ibadan, Oyo state. Data for this study were obtained from both primary and secondary sources. A total of 400 questionnaires were administered randomly across the 11 local government areas using purposive sampling technique while 365 were retrieved and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results obtained revealed that majority of the people (77%) are familiar with the concept of climate change. 39% and 29% of the respondent perceived variability in temperature and rainfall respectively as the major problems confronting climatic parameters which invariably led to climate change. The result further shows that 95% of the respondent agreed that deforestation account mostly for the incidence of climate change. However, the impacts of deforestation on climate change were perceived to be severe (40%) in the study area. Meanwhile, 37% of the respondents believed that afforestation and mix farming is the most suitable solution to address the problem of climate change. The study recommended the use of environment friendly source of energy such as solar vehicle, bio-fuel and promotion of green environment (tree planting) among others to prevent severe impact of climate change.