INHIBITING FACTORS AND STRATEGIES FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN NIGERIA’S BUILDING SECTOR: A REVIEW

Abstract

Climate change, one of the most significant global challenges of the 21st century poses severe threat to the built environment. This manifests in extreme weather events, flooding, rising temperatures, and environmental degradation. While the urgency of climate change adaptation in the building sector is widely acknowledged, practical implementation remains slow. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the key inhibiting factors affecting climate change adaptation in Nigeria’s building sector. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature, institutional reports, and empirical studies, five major categories of barriers were identified. These include; policy and institutional gaps, cost and financial limitations, technological constraints, socio-cultural and behavioral barriers. The review also revealed that factors that inhibit climate change adaptation in buildings are interconnected; weak governance frameworks and inadequate financial mechanisms exacerbate technical and social challenges. The study concludes that holistic adaptation strategies that involve linking regulation, finance, capacity building, and awareness are critical to mainstreaming resilience in Nigeria’s built environment.