www.tjprc.org editor@tjprc.org International Journal of Environment, Ecology, Family and Urban Studies (IJEEFUS) ISSN(P): 2250-0065; ISSN(E): 2321-0109 Vol. 4, Issue 5, Oct 2014, 7-16 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd. MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES IN NIGERIA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ISIFE, CHIMA THERESA 1 , OGAKWU, VERA. NNEKA 2 , CHIAHA, GETHRUDE UZOAMAKA 3 , AGU, REUBEN AMAECHI 4 & TAKON, SAMUEL MANYO 5 1,2 Institute for Development Studies, Enugu Campus, University of Nigeria. Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria 3 Department of Educational Foundations, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria 4 Centre for Entrepreneurship and Development Research, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria 5 Department of Banking and Finance, Caritas University, Enugu, Nigeria ABSTRACT This paper discussed the climate change, its challenges and ways of mitigating the climate change challenges in Nigeria in order to enhance sustainable development using secondary data. It also reviewed the causes of climate change in two categories; natural and manmade. The effects of the climate Change were equally reviewed. The paper concluded that there is need for commitment towards ensuring and adopting healthy, friendly strategies to adapt to the climate change challenges for sustainable development. The paper recommended that Nigerian government and all the stakeholders involved in the global phenomenon needs to increase public awareness, promote research and establish a commission or an agency that will handle issues related to global warming and climate change. KEYWORDS: Climate Change, Health, Solar Variation, Mass Migration and Insecurity INTRODUCTION The average pattern of weather, called climate usually stays pretty much the same centuries if it is left to itself. However, the earth is not being left alone. People are taking actions that can change the earth and its climate in significant ways. As a result gasses known as Green House Gas (GHG) are emitted into the atmosphere and cause global warming. After nearly two decades of skepticism, climate change is now in front burner as the primary environmental threat of the 21 st century, it has even been in the political agenda as never before (Oladipo, 2008) Climate change is no longer a distant possibility but a current reality (World Bank, 2010).The impacts and consequences have the potentials to wipe out development gains and significantly reduce the standard of living (Ujah, 2009) The adverse effects of climate change on human health, means of livelihood, agriculture, employment and others are becoming rampant that if nothing is done about it, it may be too late to save the earth for man’s habitation and also for the future generation. The world is now at alert trying to establish the best policies and practices that will cut down drastically the greenhouse gas which is making the earth warm. CLIMATE CHANGE Climate Change goes deeper than generally known term as climatic variability which means variation in the mean state and other statistics of climate on all spatial and temporal scales beyond that of individual weather event. Such temporal scale variations could be monthly, seasonal, annual, decadal and periodic. Climate change is of two facets namely