BUILDING URBAN RESILIENCE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: A REVIEW OF ADAPTATION STRATEGIES

Abstract

Urban resilience refers to the capacity of a city to recover from disasters or climate change by adapting to emerging challenges while ensuring sustainable development. This article provides an overview of urban resilience to climate change in Nigeria, with a focus on its impacts and the adaptation strategies adopted in urban areas. Cities around the world particularly in developing countries are increasingly confronted with challenges to socio-economic development caused by climate change. Consequently, the need to safeguard urban areas against these impacts has become critically important. This article examines the environmental impacts of climate change in Nigeria’s urban areas. These impacts include altered rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, food insecurity, reduced agricultural productivity, health challenges, and biodiversity loss. The paper also analyzes a range of adaptation strategies employed by cities to strengthen their resilience to changing climatic conditions. These strategies include, but are not limited to, the implementation of green and blue infrastructure such as urban forests and water management systems to mitigate the effects of extreme weather events like floods and heatwaves.