Climate Journalism in Nigeria: Implications and Contributions to the Sustainability of the Climate Debate

Abstract

Nigeria, like many parts of the world has been experiencing climate change. Various studies show that annual and seasonal timescales indicate a significant positive increase in temperature. Spurring climate action demands the right attitude, and climate journalism potentially provides an outlet for achieving such a goal. Studies have not sufficiently focused on climate journalism’s implications and contributions towards galvanizing the climate debate, or how such debates can be used as a transmission channel for initiating and mobilizing the public towards climate action. The implications and contributions of climate journalism in the context of setting the agenda for a constructive climate debate in Nigeria remains sketchy at best. The climate debate in Nigeria has made little effort to package climate issues in a way that ordinary people can understand, let alone participate. The specific objective was to explicate the implications and contributions of climate journalism in Nigeria, in light of the climate debate. The strings of the study are tied to the agenda setting theory. The methodology employed was the qualitative library approach. The study found that climate journalism cannot be overlooked, where the obligation of communicating knowledge-based climate related information to the public is considered paramount. The recommendation is that climate journalists in Nigeria should strive towards educating the public about the urgency and complexity of the present climate change conundrum. Keywords: Climate Change, Climate Debate, Climate Journalism, Nigeria, Sustainability