Abstract
The peak of international interest in the environment and sustainable development
reached at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
in Rio, Brazil was followed up in the 2001 Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in
December, 2001 and 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in South
Africa. Declarations from all the global summits have commonly emphasized
sustainable and collective efforts to protect the environment. However, policy
makers in Africa are finding it difficult to entrench viable policies to address
development issues via emerging climate change phenomena. They are sceptical
of the effectiveness of available mitigation and adaptation strategies. They fear
specifically that strategies on carbon trading will impoverish African values,
inhibit commercialization and market competition. This paper critically examines
aspects of public policy formulation in view of the international provisions on
climate change mitigation and adaptation. The analysis of policy process and
implementation via relevant contexts clarifies issues considered depressing by
indigenous people about climate change. The paper identifies stringent factors for
consideration while drafting policies on climate change issues in Nigeria for
development communication experts to implement sustainable climate change
adaptation and mitigation campaigns through inclusive and consultative
communication strategies. Finally, the paper recommends steps to be taken for
effectual implementation of such policies in Nigeria.
Key Words: adaptation, mitigation, development, communication and policy
