Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract

The aim of this review was to examine the impacts, adaptation and vulnerability of the Niger Delta to climate change. From a comprehensive review of the literature, it was revealed that the Niger Delta is currently being faced with climate change impacts such as increased temperature, irregular precipitation patterns and sea level rise, which had caused serious negative impacts in the region, exacerbating natural hazards such as flooding, coastal erosion and salt water intrusion into fresh water aquifers. Future projections have it that these impacts may be more severe if urgent steps are not taken to address the situation. Unfortunately, current adaptation strategies are poorly designed and have been found to be inadequate in dealing with the current situation, because of the reported poor adaptive capacity of both ecological and human systems. The paper recommends that a comprehensive adaptation strategy for the region should be developed involving the governments and all relevant stakeholders, to increase the adaptive capacity of the region and moderate the impacts of climate change.

Keywords: Adaptation, Climate Change, Niger Delta, Vulnerability