IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE LEGAL RIGHTS OF NIGERIAN CHILDREN: COMPARATIVE INSIGHTS FROM INTERNATIONAL JURISDICTION

Abstract

Climate change has emerged as one of the most significant global challenges of the twenty-first century, with far-reaching implications for human rights, sustainable development, and social welfare. In Nigeria, the effects of climate change—including recurrent flooding, desertification, drought, coastal erosion, and environmental degradation—pose serious threats to the survival, development, and protection of children. This study examines the impact of climate change on the rights of the Nigerian child within the framework of domestic and international legal instruments. The research adopts a doctrinal and comparative legal methodology, relying on primary and secondary sources of law, including statutes, judicial authorities, international treaties, journal articles, textbooks, policy documents, and reports of international organizations. The study found that although Nigeria has taken notable steps toward addressing climate change through policies and legislation such as the Climate Change Act 2021 and commitments under the Paris Agreement, significant challenges persist in implementation. The study concluded that climate change constitutes not only an environmental problem but also a pressing human rights issue with severe implications for the rights and welfare of children. It recommended the strengthening of environmental governance, effective enforcement of climate obligations, incorporation of child-sensitive adaptation measures into national policies, amongst others. The study further advocated for a rights-based approach to climate governance to ensure the effective protection of the Nigerian child against the growing impacts of climate change.