Abstract
Nigeria is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to extreme weather conditions and natural disasters linked to climate change, the impacts of which are exacerbated by rapid population growth, a fragile economy, high dependence on rain-fed agribusiness, and the country's weak adaptive capacity. The lack of or poor application of environmental communication in a strategic approach is critical to all of these. Using a thematic conceptual review of existing literature, this chapter shows that strategic environmental communication can be applied more easily to mitigate the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation through the use of well-established communication strategies and instruments to save the environment for socio-economic development.
TopIntroduction
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) reported that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate in October 2018 warned policymakers of the global need for change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% before 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Although an increase above 1.5°C is the point at which the effects of global warming are expected to become more severe and more difficult and costly to mitigate, catastrophic natural disasters such as record high temperatures, severe wildfires, melting glaciers, floods and droughts are already being experienced in the world (CDD, 2020 September 30 cited in Abdullah, 2020 October 3).
Despite Nigeria’s low contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, it is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to extreme weather and climate-change-related natural disasters. The effects of rapid population growth, a fragile economy, a high level of dependence on rain-fed agricultural businesses and a weak adaptive capacity of the country are exacerbated. Socio-economic pressures are linked to non-seasonal and high temperatures, precipitation, severe floods, and desertification to further degrade the agribusiness environment which consequently affects livelihoods, economic opportunities and increase competition for natural and environmental resources; these, in turn, amplify social tension and a vicious cycle of conflict in different parts of the country (Abdullah, 2020 October 3; Fontaine, Roucou, Gaetani, & Marteau, 2020).
Northern Nigerian rural livestock business has a tradition of migration through fertile grasslands and savannahs by mostly Fulani cattle herders. However, with increasingly violent conflicts between pastoralists and farming communities, this movement of people and livestock business has taken a deadly turn in the past decade. Much has been written about the violence inflicted on the Central Belt, Middle Belt or North-Central farming communities and herders, but not much has been written about the North-West situation (Aude, 2013; Nwankwo, Arduino, Ali & Made, 2020).
The International Crisis Group (ICG) says that “conflict between Hausa farmers and Fulani herders in the region has killed at least 8,000 people since 2011 and displaced more than 200,000 to the neighboring Republic of Niger.” The Federal Ministry of Environment was reported to have said that desertification, exacerbated by the dual impact of climate change and unsustainable human activities such as overgrazing and logging for fuel and agriculture, threatens 35% of the country’s business environment in 11 states that are on the front line of desertification or (see Figure 1), namely Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa Kano, Kebbi, Kaduna, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa and Zamfara (CDD, 2020 September 30; ICG, 2020 May 18; World Bank, 2019).
Figure 1. Map of Nigeria showing the climatic zones, with the desertification frontline zone, in brown colours, lying in the Northern half of the map bordering Abuja
Key Terms in this Chapter
Strategic Communication: This term refers to a specialized communication type which involves the utilization of planned, tactical, and calculated deliberations and methodologies to conceive, develop and execute a given communication-related plan to realize a set of desired objectives in an unusual way using existing communication media and forums.
Development: This term simply refers to advancement, progress, and positive changes in the overall condition of a given phenomenon resulting in observable shifts from a previous state of being to a better one.
Environmental Development: Tangible positive changes, advancements and transformations in the overall conditions of the ecosystem especially regarding lesser land, water and air pollution as well as lesser destruction of vegetation and risk to wildlife. Environmental development also involves all positive changes brought about in a particular geographical area through people-centered political, economic, social, cultural and even diplomatic efforts for a better place for all live.
Communication: This refers to the practical process of the exchange of ideas, thoughts, guidelines, standards and so on between management/stakeholders and beneficiaries on the best practices available that can be applied toward mitigating/preventing problems and challenges associated with the environment in a given society. It also involves community mobilization and dialogue as well as the use media of communication to disseminate information associated with environmental development for long-term benefits to people.
Environment: This refers to the ecosystem or the general physical surrounding in which people live especially in relation to land, water, air, vegetation and wildlife.
Sustainable (Environmental) Development: This term refers to the type of environmental development that can withstand the test of time yielding benefits to people and society.
Desert: This refers to a vast geographical area that is characterized with a significant degree of drought, desiccation, loose soil, extremely scanty vegetation, wastelands/barren lands, extremely high temperatures and sparse population density.
Desertification Frontline: This is a geographical area that shares some of the characteristics of desert because of its proximity and being prone to desert lands.