The Canada-Nigeria Climate Change Program changes the ways Nigerians see their country, and what they can do to combat climate change, from government to local organizations.

“Climate change often appears very esoteric,” says Damian Ihedioha, Programme Coordinator with the Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST), “but in Nigeria, it’s real. We have an increasing incidence of disease, declining agricultural productivity, and a rising number of heat waves. There is glaring evidence that climate change is not only happening, it’s changing our lives.”

For the past two years, Mr. Ihedioha and his team have been working with a Canadian company, Global Change Strategies International, to increase Nigeria’s capacity to combat climate change. Funded under the Canada Climate Change Development Fund (CCCDF), the project includes components to strengthen the capacities of federal institutions to deal with climate change, raise public awareness of the impact of climate change on people’s lives, improve the collection and analysis of information on greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation options, and undertake an analysis of the country's vulnerability to climate change.

The project is part of a worldwide effort to help countries fulfil their obligations under the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This project also helps contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly MDG 7 and its target on integrating the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs.

“It’s easier when you give climate change a human face,” says Mr. Ihedioha, ‘‘then people can understand the issues more easily.’’ He talks about meeting farmers who can no longer understand weather patterns and find it difficult to know when to plant as a result of climate change. “Declining rainfall in already desert-prone areas in northern Nigeria is causing increasing desertification, the former food basket in central Nigeria is now empty, and people in the coastal areas who used to depend on fishing have seen their livelihoods destroyed by the rising waters,” he says.

“Adapting to climate variability and mitigating its impacts is something that we do … in our everyday lives,” he says. “But we have to understand what climate change is, that we contribute to it, and how we can adapt and reduce our vulnerabilities.”

The creation of Nigeria’s Clean Development Mechanism National Authority in March 2004 is “a milestone in our efforts,” says Mr. Ihedioha. The National Authority is the first government body in Nigeria charged with finding ways to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change, as well as to liaise with international and national organizations. The creation of the National Authority follows the November 2003 presentation of Nigeria’s First National Communications to the UNFCCC.

At the same time, NEST works to infuse climate change in the leaders of tomorrow by offering training workshops on climate change issues; producing manuals for legislators, public servants, and students; and establishing closer ties between government and civil society. Mr. Ihedioha says the increasing number of graduate students choosing to work on climate change issues is astounding. The sum of these activities “has brought federal institutions into the mainstream of climate change,” he says.

But that’s not where the efforts stop. NEST has also worked with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to raise climate change awareness among selected audiences. NEST and local NGOs developed bumper stickers with messages such as “I don’t have a smoking exhaust system” or “My house is surrounded by trees and gives me fresh air.” These stickers are aimed at car drivers, market vendors, and homeowners. Comic books about climate change have also been created for children.

Although measuring the impact of NEST’s work after just two years is difficult, ample evidence shows that their work has made a difference. “Everybody is now calling us to find out more about climate change and what they can do,” says Mr. Ihedioha. “From government authorities to students to other non-governmental organizations, climate change is becoming a mass action in Nigeria.” He says NEST will continue to work closely with the government on climate change policy for Nigeria, adding that thanks to Canada’s lead, “other donor agencies are now wanting to get on board and help.”