World Bank Warns 9.4 Million Nigerians May Be Displaced By 2050 Due To Climate Change

A new World Bank report has revealed that 9.4 million Nigerians may be displaced by 2050 due to the impact of Climate Change.

Climate Change is mainly caused by the emission of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane and nitrous oxide etc.) and mostly involves human-induced global warming and its impacts on weather patterns.

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The report titled “Groundswell Africa: Internal Climate Migration in West African Countries”, projected that Nigeria would be the second worst-hit by internal climate migration among six West African countries studied.

The report said unless there is concrete climate and development action, West Africa may account for 32 million internal climate migrants by 2050, with 19.1 million in Niger, 9.4 million in Nigeria and 1 million in Senegal.

“Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal are projected to have the highest numbers of internal climate migrants by 2050: reaching a high of 19.1 million, 9.4 million, and 1.0 million, respectively, under the pessimistic scenario.

“Of the West African coastal countries, Nigeria is projected to have the highest mean number of internal climate migrants under the pessimistic scenario by 2050 (8.3 million) far ahead of Senegal (0.6 million) and Ghana (0.3).

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“However, smaller countries, such as Benin, also exhibit high internal climate migration figures as a percentage of their total population (1.62 per cent for Benin compared to 1.93 per cent for Nigeria and with Senegal achieving the highest percentage at 1.98 per cent),” said the report.

It added that climate induced migration in Nigeria will occur more in Kano, Katsina, and Sokoto.

“Climate in-migration hotspots are projected to emerge in the Sahel because of increases in water availability and pasturage. These results must be interpreted against the low baseline of water availability in the region. South-central Mauritania, southeastern Mali, and northern Nigeria will be large climate in-migration hotspots in the area,” it said.

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