The Challenges of Climate Change Communication for Lagos Coastal Communities

Abstract

The evidences of climate change impacts in African coastal communities are increasing in varying proportions with different mitigation and adaptation options. Communicating climate change impacts, mitigations and adaptations is often problematic owing to poor socioeconomic characteristics of African coastal communities. An attempt to communicate climate change impacts, mitigations and adaptations during the 2010 and 2011 flood events in Lagos coastal communities was difficult. This underscores the need to analyse local evidences of climate change impacts and the influence of socioeconomic conditions on climate change communication for Lagos coastal communities. The paper examines local evidences of climate change impacts in the context of flood events and demonstrate how diverse socioeconomic characteristics of selected coastal communities of Lagos could influence communication of climate change impacts, mitigations and adaptations. The approach was explorative involving the analysis of climate data, existing statistical data and social survey to understand the realities, perception/awareness and challenge of climate change communication in the context of the 2010 and 2011 flood events. Ten Lagos coastal communities were purposively selected based on the intensity of the 2010 and 2011 flood events and the general income group classification of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA). The selected communities were those in the high income (Eti-Osa, Eti-Osa East, Iru/Victoria Island, Lagos Island and Lekki), middle income (Ibeju), low income (Agboyi Ketu. Badagry, Bariga), and low medium (Ikorodu) groups of the coastal communities (LAWMA 2011). The scope of this paper is limited to providing differences in local evidences of climate change impacts based on the perceptions of the 2010 and 2011 flood events by households and the analysis of differences in socioeconomic characteristics of households for an understanding of how they could influence climate change communication in the selected Lagos coastal communities. The paper outlines key lessons and the prospects for evolving effective climate change communication for Lagos coastal communities. The responses of the coastal communities including the perception of the impacts, probability and risks differed majorly due largely to differences in locations more than income groups. Understanding local evidences of climate change impacts and differences in socioeconomic characteristics of coastal communities are significant for understanding, perception and awareness of the impacts of climate change and evolving appropriate climate change communication options. Using multi-level channels of communication could enhance collaboration and cooperation if properly managed otherwise it could results in negative consequences of unhealthy competition, conflicts and crisis. Responses and communication must involve coordination and cooperation at multiple levels of governance structure for mobilizing funds, implementing projects and ensuring stakeholders’ commitments.