Historical trends and impacts of climate change on temperature, rainfall and humidity in Nigeria: A century-long analysis

Abstract

The alarming rate of the increase in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the resulting climate change can cause increases in average national temperatures, leading to increase in evapotranspiration and uncertainty in the intensity and frequency of weather parameters. Based on reliable data and information from literature, this paper provides comprehensive analysis of historical trends in global GHG increase, local atmospheric temperature, relative humidity (RH) and precipitation changes. The results of the study provide valuable insights on the effects of global warming on variations in local weather parameters (temperature and precipitation) in Nigeria over the past decades. The paper shows that there is direct correlation between global GHG emissions/concentration and national average temperatures, with no clear relationship between the average national temperature with RH and amount of rainfall. Thus, it is essential to continue monitoring and reporting climatic data to better understand the impacts of climate change on Nigeria’s weather, and to develop effective strategies for mitigation and adaptation efforts. This is expected to broaden and deepen both short-term and long-term risk management in Nigeria and support national climate planning process.