Climate change has become an unavoidable topic of discussion. Nigeria as a country is blessed by nature in the sense that most of the natural disasters occurring across the globe do not come here or occur here regularly. If not, the story would have been very bad.
Rarely do Nigeria record earthquakes and there had rarely been any case of the volcanic eruption here as it is the case in several other countries across the globe.
One occurrence that Nigeria is not free from, however, is that of climate change. Climate change has become a huge problem indeed and it is affecting every country in every part of the world.
Global warming puts a lot of stress on the ecosystem and it is leading to an increase in global temperature, more frequent pest invasion, drought, increased threats of fire outbreaks, and water shortage. Other possible outcomes of global warming include salt invasion and intense storm damage.
These are issues that Nigeria cannot overlook and this is why those in authority in the Nigeria education sector need to closely consider including climate change education for school pupils as it will get them adequately prepared for eventualities.
The effects of global warming as mentioned above may not be pronounced yet in Nigeria, but the country may not remain lucky in the coming years and decades.
There is no way the country can escape the scourge of global warming as the future draws near. The earlier we start preparing for it the better for everyone and the best way to start getting prepared is by giving adequate education to people.
The education should not be limited to just radio jingles or social media advocacy; it should go far beyond that and be taken into the classroom so that all and sundry can learn everything they need to know about this global scourge and get adequately prepared in case things go south in the future.
Education
Education is very important in combating global warming and this is why the Nigerian government must consider including climate change in the educational curriculum.
Such a step will enable young people to better understand the phenomenon of global warming since it will equip them with adequate education to engender that understanding.
Aside from explaining to them what global warming means, adequate should education about the concept will equally help them to understand what the consequences are and how to successfully tackle these consequences.
Above all, a good knowledge of climate change and its various cause, as well as, consequences will enlighten these young ones on why they should change their behaviors towards mother earth.
It will equally enable them to easily adapt to the reality of things so that they too can be able to tackle this global emergency in their respective communities across the country towards preserving Nigeria from the heavy consequences of global warming as is being experienced in several other countries across the globe.
“An Investment in knowledge pays the best interest” according to Benjamin Franklin. UNESCO backed it up by declaring that “education, especially when focused on children and young people, is a key factor in helping to curb climate change.”
UNESCO went further by saying “education….encourages changes in young people’s attitude and behaviors and helps them to adapt to climate change-related trends.”
Considering the above, the Nigerian authority cannot look the other way to rehearse the role that early education can play in the curbing of the global warming menace that has refused to spare any part of the world.
The current response to climate change in Nigeria
The government responds to climate change in Nigeria via Building Nigeria’s Response to Climate Change (BNRCC) project. The project is focused on preparing Nigerians to respond in an informed manner to climate change in the country.
The project aims to increase the capacity of nationals at the community, state, and national levels is that the actions, policies, and adaptation strategies put together to enhance better response to climate change can be effective.
The project is an offshoot of the Canadian-Nigeria Climate Change Capacity Development Project (C-NCCCDP) and it was funded by the Nigeria Environmental Study Action Team and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
While the government may have an existing setup against climate change, one can rarely say that the setup is really effective since the happenings around the country indicate that climate change is fast taking root and seems to get worse by the day. For example, the oil companies still engage in gas flaring, which is one of the many causes of global warming.
Flooding has become a regular occurrence from one year to another even in places where the amount of rainfall is low. Considering the unfortunately poor achievement by the government-established organizations against climate change, then it is time for the government to consider an entirely new approach and one of the best in the education of the young ones at schools across the country.
Curriculum review is essential
A curriculum review can help the government to successfully entrench climate change education in the Nigerian education system. While the nursery schools may be spared the new introduction, climate change education should be fully included in primary, secondary school, and higher institution education.
Those involved in planning curriculum should include, as compulsory education, core knowledge of climate change. Part of this core knowledge should be the potential societal impacts of climate change. The change in curriculum will enable students to learn all they need to know at their respective level of education about the potential impact of climate change when it is not managed properly.
It will also teach them the various obtain available for mitigation of, and adaptation to climate change such an all-inclusive education will give the students access to a robust and complete understanding of the subject matter.
Teachers should also bear in mind that the end goal should be changing the orientation of the students towards a positive response to climate change; even tests and examinations conducted in this regard should reflect this. So, the students should be given more than just the basic knowledge or understanding of climate change.
To ensure the achievement of the primary purpose of including climate change in the Nigerian education curriculum, teachers should be given all the required training so that they can adequately impact the expected knowledge in their students.
