Governance and Climate Change in Nigeria : A Public Policy Perspective

Physical environmentalists (notably meteorologists and climatologists) argue that there is an interwoven relationship between the character of the physical environment and climate change. They therefore distill geophysical factors and analyze their interrelations within the matrix of geo-physical theories. But social scientists are primarily concerned with the human side of the problem: how man activities affect the character of the environment. Specifically, policy analysts are beset by the primary question of what the state does, will do and has in fact done to protect, increase or even vitiate the integrity of the environment. This paper contextualizes the problem of climate change within the governance purview and proposes that there is a direct relationship between the characters of the state and governance system on the one hand and Nigeria’s response to climate change on the other. It recommends that environment friendly public policies should lie at the root of any effective measures against adverse climate change in Nigeria.