GENDER AND CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION IN NIGERIA BY DAMILOLA TAIYE, AGBALAJOBI Department of Political Science Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Osun State Nigeria

OVERVIEW Climate change pose a threat to the world at large because no one is immune from the overall effect. Policy mitigation so far are focused on the use of scientific and technological proceedings to tackle the effect of climate change. Little have been done to involve women actively in environmental decision-making at all levels. Need to consitute a gender-sensitive response to climate change and its implication for gender equality.

CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE? Climate change is a scientific proven phenomenon that includes “any change in the climate, whether due to its natural variability or as a result of human activity”. Climate change is any long-term change in the statistics of weather over periods of time that raise from decades to million of years. It can express itself as a change in the mean weather condition, the probability of extreme conditions, or in any part of the statistical distribution of weather. This may occur in a specific region, or across the whole earth.

CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION: GENDER AND MITIGATION Gender is the socially constructed definition of women and men, or the social attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female. Mitigation is about preventing or limiting the occurrence of climate change. Mitigation focuses on tackling the cause of climate change: the increase of greenhouse gases (CHG s) (Lambrou and Piana 2006:8)

KYOTO PROTOCOLS The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The International environmental treaty ‘s goal is to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.These amount to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five-year period Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere as a result of more than 150 years of industrial activity, the Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities.” The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February Parties of the Convention have ratified its Protocol to date. The detailed rules for the implementation of the Protocol were adopted at COP 7 in Marrakesh in 2001, and are called the “Marrakesh Accords.”

WHY GENDER AND CLIMATE CHANGE. Climate change is a global phenomenon which is already being experience on a human level, but its impacts will be differently distributed among different region, generation, age classes, income groups, occupation and gender. It is recognized that it is those who are already vulnerable and marginalized who experience the greatest impacts and also with the least capacity or opportunity to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate or to participate in negotiations on mitigation. Gender and climate change is important because it is commonly recognized though lacks evidence that climate change exacerbates existing inequalities in many areas. Differing perceptions of climate change and ways of coping with its effects. Gender specific health hazards. Low level of participation by women – deficits in the gender perspective in climate policy.

GENDER SENSITIVE RESPONSE TO CHANGE The level of participation by women in decisions affecting climate policy - climate change mitigation- and the implementation of these decision at the local, national and international levels are very low. Women marginalization leads to male perspectives generally being given greater attention in planning process. This will result in climate protection measures and measures aimed at adjusting climate change, to fail in taking into account the particular and strategic needs of a large part of the population. There is therefore the need to enshrine gender mainstreaming into the agreement superseding the Kyoto Protocol which is to address climate change mitigation after 2012.

Gender and Climate Change in Nigeria Climate change poses great threat to the global environment Climate change impacts vary among regions, generations, age, classes, income groups, and gender. Women’s limited access to economic resources and decision-making process, increases their vulnerability to climate change. Without adequate mitigation of climate change its will cause substantial damage to human wellbeing and prosperity

Climate Change Mitigation Climate change mitigation has received considerable attention since the adoption of the UNFCCC Convention. A great deal of effort has been directed towards emissions reduction opportunities. The challenge is to ensure that actions taken within the climate change framework will help and not hinder local and regional development

Technicalities of Climate Change Mitigation Need to engage environmentalist; Need to train and retrain people. Need to put a control and monitoring devices in place.

The Cost and Benefit of Climate Change Mitigation Economic costs Social costs

Obstacles to Climate Change Mitigation Financial Obstacle Time-line Obstacle Legal Obstacle Planning Obstacle Systemic Obstacle Cultural Obstacle Educational Obstacle Attitudinal Obstacle

Effectiveness of Climate Change Mitigation Measuring how effective the mitigation of climate change has been is not an easy task. There are many immeasurable variables like personnel and financial inputs and related results. One way the effectiveness of climate change mitigation schemes could be tested is to check over a period of time if there have been positive changes in climate change situations.

Gender and Climate Change Mitigation Climate change affects everyone but climate change mitigation affects people differently. Women are believed to suffer most where climate change is mitigated because it is believed in some quarters that this will make the domestic work of the woman to be more difficult.

Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change Mitigation on Gender The government should ensure that all alternatives to fossil fuel are abundantly available at affordable prices. Put serious monitoring devices in place to forestall such occurrences. To reduce the economic burden of using alternative fuel on families generally, the pay structure of workers should be positively reviewed upward to accommodate the cost of embracing alternative energy sources for cooking.

CONCLUSION Climate change mitigation has no doubt become an enigma. The Kyoto Protocol not being legally binding on member states is suggestive of lip-service. The awareness drive of the government should be increased by giving incentives to people who are willing to embrace and work towards climate change mitigation.

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