Proceedings of the 2nd (Hybrid) International Conference, Faculty of Social Sciences, Niger Delta University, Held on March 13, 2024
March, 2024
Pages 78-97
DOI: 10.36108/wjss/ConfP.2024.006
ANALYSIS OF RURAL COMMUNITIES’ PERCEPTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES IN PARTS OF NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA
Johnson Egbemudia Dudu* and Andrew G. Onokerhoraye
Abstract
Over the past several decades, oil exploration in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria has resulted in the manifestation of climatic change. Various regions of Nigeria have documented the effects of climate change and adaptations; however, it is crucial that our understanding of the most recent impacts of climate change on communities remains current. In Delta and Edo States, this research aimed to address the aforementioned knowledge deficit by examining communities’ climate change perspectives and preferable adaptation strategies. A structured questionnaire was distributed to households in six Local Government Areas of Delta and Edo States, covering the three senatorial divisions of each state, with a total of 3188 respondents. The selection of households was done using the disproportionate sampling principle. According to the findings of the research, 75.7% of the participants possess knowledge regarding climate change issues, which only emerged within the past decade for 62% of the sample. Furthermore, 65.7% of the respondents reported experiencing agricultural losses of some kind as a consequence of climate change. To combat climate change, respondents have implemented a variety of adaptation strategies, including premature harvesting (42.7%), obtaining loans (18.4%), and others. The paper concludes that climate change is a tangible reality for the inhabitants of the study area. As a result, it suggests that (1) governments immediately address the issue by increasing public awareness of the environmental crisis and (2) communities be empowered with adaptation strategies to lessen the impact of climate alteration.
Keywords: Climate Change, Perception, Rural Communities, Adaptation Strategies, Parts of Niger Delta.