Climate Change Adaptation: A Necessary but Neglected Component of Environmental Law in Nigeria

Abstract

Climate change has emerged as a significant issue of concern for humanity. The alterations in the global climate system have impacted nearly every facet of human activity worldwide. The increase in global temperatures has led to numerous natural and human-induced disasters, including the melting of polar ice caps, flooding, frequent earthquakes, and landslides, among other extreme phenomena. Consequently, it is imperative to seek enduring solutions to this complex issue; otherwise, more catastrophic consequences will ensue, and humans—who are both the primary contributors and victims—will continue to endure suffering. Efforts have been made to address climate change through the establishment of laws and policies aimed at either reducing the rate of human activities through mitigation or alleviating the impacts of climate change via adaptation. Nevertheless, the inherently weak nature of climate change laws and policies renders them nearly unenforceable, prompting a reliance on environmental law and policy to enhance or support climate change legislation. As a result, the specific climate laws and policies designed to combat climate change have had minimal or no effect on mitigation efforts. Environmental law and policy have been implicitly utilized to address climate change; however, they too have failed to make significant progress in mitigating climate change. This review, among other things, assesses the role of environmental law and policy in climate change mitigation. The study also examines the processes and methods for achieving climate change mitigation. The findings indicate that climate change laws and policies alone are insufficient for effective climate mitigation, nor are environmental laws and policies adequate to control climate change. We recommend inter alia that anthropogenic global warming and climate change should be incorporated expressly in all environmental laws for the consolidation and unification of both Climate and environmental law and policy as an effective measure to mitigate climate change.