Effects of Climate Change on Social Infrastructure in a Developing Nation: The Nigeria Perspective

The World over, a nation’s state of infrastructure remains a major indicator of its developmental status; developed or less developed. Physical developmental processes are considered as inducing climate change, which in turn adversely exposes humanity to significant risk. In this study, the influence of climate change on social infrastructure and socioeconomic growth in a less developed country, like Nigeria, was examined. Nigeria currently is the fastest urbanizing, most populous and largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Infrastructural developments in Nigeria since independence in 1960, till date, are based on low energy efficient technologies. Empirical observations signpost a nexus between climate change and social infrastructure and its impacts on socioeconomic growth and development. Consequently, based on the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda, this paper examines the link between climate change and infrastructural development. Furthermore, the study presents practical strategies required to mitigate the potential impacts of climate change on current and future infrastructural developments. The solutions proffered in the paper are anchored on Development, Adaptation and Mitigation (DAM) approach and Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP). The findings demonstrated that climate change not only affects social infrastructural development but also the socio-economic growth and sustainable development especially in Less Developing Countries (LDCs) like Nigeria. The mitigation and abatement strategy recommended to reduce GHG’s emissions is a substantial investment in research and development (R&D) of sustainable materials and alternative technologies like construction materials, solar, wind and hydropower. This is with a view to increasing the life cycle of both the existing and new infrastructure through effective planning, design, construction and maintenance.