Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change in Nigerian Cities Through Land Use Management Tools.

The paper describes how changes in land use accelerate climate change-related disasters like rise in sea level, flooding, gully erosion, tornado, desertification etc. It further discusses how such changes contribute to poverty, especially among the urban poor. This paper tries to examine the above inter-related aspects of urban growth in relation to climate change in Nigerian cities and the effects of climate change on the cities with particular reference to the most vulnerable groups. Thus, the paper observes that the most vulnerable groups are the urban poor who are mostly affected because of their inability to avoid the direct or indirect impacts - by having good quality homes, income, insecurity and drainage systems that prevent flooding and other disasters. Finally, the paper recommends certain land use tools that, if applied by city authorities, have both preventive and impact mitigation measures that can save the cities from self-destruction.