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The BBC World Service Trust is the BBC's international development charity. It uses the creative power of media to reduce poverty and promote human rights.
The British Council is the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. As well as education, it runs programmes in the arts, science, sport, governance and English language.
Nigeria Talks Climate
What do people think about climate change in Nigeria? Can communication and media strategies be tailored to support Nigeria's response to climate change?
From May to September 2008, the BBC World Service Trust conducted research in Nigeria to gauge public understanding of climate change.
The research consisted of 24 focus group discussions with Nigerian citizens, as well as 31 in-depth interviews with opinion leaders from government, religious institutions, the private sector, the media and civil society.
Findings included:
There is a strong tendency among Nigerians to hold themselves individually and collectively responsible for local changes in the environment and the weather. There is little awareness that climatic problems – now or in the future – are likely to have causes that extend beyond Nigeria.
Nigerians draw on existing knowledge and beliefs to explain the effects of climate change. For example, many think that deforestation in their local area reduces local rainfall, and some incorrectly believe that smoke from cars, bush fires and factories damages the ozone layer, making it hotter.
There is a strong connection between faith and environmental stewardship in Nigeria; many people see changes in the weather as the will of god, and religious leaders emphasise humans’ duty of care to god’s creation
Understanding of the global causes of climate change is confined to a small group of opinion leaders, with national government and NGO representatives holding the most knowledge, followed by local government officials, then the heads of local associations and religious or traditional leaders. while most opinion leaders can identify the impacts of climate change, fewer can accurately explain climate change processes.
Climate change terminology is poorly understood and does not have standard translations in Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa. The language of climate change is not accessible to most Nigerians, and this prevents people from having a voice on the issue. opinion leaders agree that the inaccessibility of climate change terminology is a barrier to public engagement.
The media and schools are people’s main sources of information on climate change. Yet the media say they lack sufficient knowledge to inform audiences effectively.
Most Nigerians criticise the government for a lack of visible action on climate change and the environment. Those government representatives interviewed were focused primarily on mitigation strategies such as regulating carbon dioxide emissions, as opposed to adaptation programmes.