Experts urge stronger local action as rising heat, floods and disease outbreaks threaten vulnerable communities
By Bunmi Yekini
Climate change is no longer just an environmental problem but an escalating public health emergency that is exposing millions of Nigerians to heat-related illnesses, infectious diseases, malnutrition and mental health disorders, scientists said on Thursday.
Speaking at a media roundtable organised by the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), researchers said the country’s warming climate is increasingly driving illnesses through more frequent heatwaves, floods, changing disease patterns and food insecurity, while the poorest and most vulnerable communities bear the heaviest burden.
“Climate change is one of the biggest development challenges facing Nigeria today,” Emeritus Professor Babajide Alo, a chemist and former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, told journalists.
He said climate-related hazards including rising temperatures, flooding, coastal erosion and desertification were threatening public health, livelihoods, food production and national security across the country’s six geopolitical zones, with women, children, farmers and fishing communities among those most at risk.
The warning comes as scientists worldwide increasingly describe climate change as a health crisis rather than solely an environmental issue.
Wale Fatade, science editor at The Conversation Africa, said the World Health Organization has described climate change as the biggest threat to human health, noting that its impacts extend far beyond rising temperatures.
“It is a threat multiplier,” he said, explaining that climate change worsens existing health challenges while creating new ones through both direct and indirect pathways.
According to the scientists, prolonged periods of extreme heat are increasing cases of heat exhaustion and heatstroke while worsening cardiovascular, respiratory and kidney diseases, particularly among older people and those with underlying medical conditions. Floods, droughts and other extreme weather events are also causing injuries, deaths and displacement.
Changing rainfall patterns and higher temperatures are also expanding the habitats of mosquitoes and other disease-carrying vectors, increasing the risk of malaria and other infectious diseases. Heavy rainfall contaminates drinking water supplies, raising outbreaks of cholera and dysentery, while prolonged droughts reduce agricultural yields, contributing to food shortages and malnutrition.
They also highlighted a growing but less visible consequence of climate change, its impact on mental health.
People displaced by floods, droughts and other climate disasters frequently suffer anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, while uncertainty about worsening environmental conditions is contributing to “eco-anxiety”, particularly among younger people.
Alo described the situation as “a crisis within a crisis”, noting that vulnerable populations, including the elderly, people with disabilities, the homeless and those without adequate housing, often lack the resources needed to prepare for or recover from climate-related disasters.
The scientists said climate-related health risks are compounded by insecurity in parts of West Africa.
Alo said drought, food scarcity and changing migration routes for pastoralists have intensified resource conflicts in the Sahel, while climate-related displacement has been linked to increased mental health disorders, gender-based violence and other forms of criminality.
Despite Nigeria’s national climate policy and more ambitious climate commitments under its latest Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), experts argued that implementation remains weak at state and local government levels, where climate impacts are most acutely felt. They said many states still lack climate policies, dedicated budgets and technical capacity.
Alo urged Nigeria to shift from centrally driven climate programmes to locally led adaptation that empowers communities to design and implement solutions based on indigenous knowledge and local experience.
He said strengthening local governance, improving climate education, expanding access to finance and involving women, youth and marginalised groups in decision-making would make communities more resilient to future climate shocks.
Fatade also challenged journalists to improve reporting on the growing links between climate and health, arguing that the two issues are too often covered separately.
He urged reporters to explain complex scientific findings in plain language, focus on the human impact of climate change and avoid sensationalism that could fuel public despair rather than action.
Scientists at the roundtable said greater collaboration between researchers and journalists would help translate scientific evidence into accurate public information capable of informing policy and strengthening community resilience.