International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 4, Issue 12, December-2013 ISSN 2229-5518 IJSER © 2013 http://www.ijser.org Responding to the Challenges of Global Climate Change in Nigeria through GIS mapping of Carbon IV oxide gas emission Ugonna C. Nkwunonwo and Oluwasoye P. Mafimisebi Abstract— Climate change is a global phenomenon and arguably the biggest threat to nature and humanity in recent times. In the developing countries (DCs), such as Nigeria, rapid growth in urbanization and demography increases the vulnerabilities of human populations to climate change events, such as flooding, landslide and hurricane. Responding to the challenges of global climate change (GCC) is focused on mitigating risks associated with climate change events, and assisting human populations to adapt to them. However, lack of accurate data, also limited access to technology, has caused major bottlenecks in achieving such goals in the DCs. To overcome such constraints, advantage should be taken of freely available data and open source applications by means of information technology (IT) and the internet, both of which can be used to good effect. Carbon IV oxide gas (CO2) is a major greenhouse gas commonly emitted in a range of anthropogenic activities, such as cooking, lighting and solid waste disposal, but an important consideration while responding to the challenges of GCC has been how to reduce the emission of such a greenhouse gas. This paper discusses Geographic Information System (GIS) and IT as useful tools for responding to the challenges of GCC, and presents an assessment of CO2 emission across the States of Nigeria, utilizing demographic data, while considering cooking, lighting and solid waste disposal. From the results, high scale emission of CO2 is taking place in 14 states of Nigeria, accounting for more than half of the total CO2 emission across the country from those anthropogenic activities considered, with Kano and Lagos States emitting the most. A regression analysis of those anthropogenic activities with emitted CO2 shows that cooking contributes most to CO2 emission in the country. This can be attributed to extensive use of firewood and kerosine in many places as substitutes for more convenient cooking energy, such as gas and electricity cookers, both of which are becoming too expensive to be afforded by average Nigerians. It is however believed that the results of this study will widen the awareness of GCC in Nigeria, as well as inform the decision-making of key stake holders towards economic planning and environmental management in respect of reducing CO2 emission across the country. Index Terms— Global climate change, Disaster, Developing countries, Anthropogenic activities, Carbon IV oxide gas emission, Human populations, Human vulnerabilities, GIS, Information Technology. ——————————  —————————— 1 INTRODUCTION lobal warming, or global climate change (GCC) results from those anthropogenic activities which cause emis- sion of greenhouse gases, especially carbon IV oxide gas (CO2). Since the late 19th century, when GCC started to create interest, the threat has stimulated far-reaching debates about its adverse effects on human populations globally. Recent re- ports from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [1-3] predict continuous fractional increases in the average global land and sea surface tempera- tures, as well as in precipitation and sea-level. A number of published reports by the World Health Organization (WHO) have shown that climate change may account for much preva- lent human disease, and intensify the spread of many diseases experienced in the tropics, such as malaria and typhoid fevers with diarrhea [4-6]. Many environmental hazards, for exam- ples flooding and landslides, are also linked to GCC, and as [7] and [8] have argued, rapid growth in urbanization and de- mography compound climate change to worsen risk in urban areas. Basically, the earth’s atmosphere is made up of a mixture of gases in variable proportions, with nitrogen, oxygen, CO2 and the rare gases dominating, and playing enormous roles in the global climate. These gases function in such a way as to bal- ance the surface temperature of the earth by absorbing the radiant energy from the sun and transmitting certain amount to the earth to sustain both biotic and abiotic activities. Unfor- tunately, since the industrial revolution in the 1970’s, human activities have increased the proportion of these gases – espe- cially carbon II oxide (CO) and CO2 – resulting in measurable increases in the average surface temperature of the atmos- phere, oceans and continents of the earth globally (See figures 1 and 2) [9]. Equally, it is reported the variations in the mass of current glaciers and the arctic sea ice, which are melting at an apparently unprecedented rate, and are gradually being lost [10]. The depletions in vegetation covering rise in sea level and the increased frequency and intensity of precipitation are also reported [11-12]. It is possible to imagine some of the implica- tions of these global phenomena, but research has shown more. For example, the increases in the surface temperature have severely impacted on many aspects of the biomes, such G ———————————————— x Ugonna C. Nkwunonwo is a lecturer at the department of Geoinformatics and Surveying, University of Nigeria Enugu campus. He is currently pur- suing doctorate research degree at the University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom, focusing on developing hydraulic model for urban flood risk mit- igation. PH-07767558848. E-mail: ugonna.nkwunonwo@port.ac.uk x Oluwasoye P. Mafimisebi is a doctoral research student at the University of Portsmouth Business School, UK. He is researching crisis management practice on the concept of moral disengagement, vulnerable environment and vulnerable people in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, W est Africa. PH-07438918550. E-mail: oluwasoye.mafimisebi@myport.ac.uk 765 IJSER