Background
Nigeria is one of the ten countries most at risk of climate disasters (International Rescue Committee, 2023). From floods to extreme weather variability, the impacts of a changing climate are far reaching, impacting all regions and worsening the existing fragility of the nation. Within coastal regions, heat waves, rising sea levels and flooding are experienced. In the northern region, accounts of desert encroachment and drying up of rivers have been reported, while the Southeastern region is also affected by gully erosion. These environmental problems result in multiple public health issues (1), forced migration, violence, food insecurity, loss of life, livelihood, community identity and so much more. In October 2022 (2), Nigeria experienced severe floods with up to 2.5 million people impacted and several reports of deaths, loss of farmlands and homes. Children, young people, women, the aged and people living in frontline communities who depend on the environment (3) for their livelihoods are usually the most vulnerable to climate-related hazards in Nigeria.
The dominant narrative of climate change in Nigeria remains elite and void of language that the average Nigerian can easily engage with. Although the resultant impact of the problem is felt by most people, its attribution to and awareness of climate change is still very low. Consequently, the obvious impacts of climate change on mental well-being in Nigeria have received very little attention from the government, media, civil society and research institutions. These mental health consequences include anger, hope, worry, shame, guilt, numbness and joy (4). The reasons for this include the fact that mental wellbeing discourse is not very mainstream and due to lack of funding, policy focus is usually geared on economic empowerment and adaptation in impacted communities. According to the World Health Organisation (5), 1 in every 4 Nigerians has a mental illness and given the high frequency of climate-related disasters and the data from other global regions on the links between experiences of climate disasters and mental wellbeing impacts, it is safe to assume that climate impacts are triggers for mental stress in Nigeria (See note 1). It is vital to collect data to understand the true nature and prevalence of climate-related mental health impacts in Nigeria. In particular, young people make up over 70% of the Nigerian population (See note 2). Young people are at a life stage where most mental wellbeing issues start, and will be the generation inheriting the climate crisis, and are therefore a key population of interest when it comes to climate change and environmental issues. In 2022, SustyVibes - a youth-led organisation - conducted a survey to assess the prevalence and level of awareness of climate change and mental wellbeing issues among Nigerian youths. The results of the survey revealed that 66.5% of participants said they could relate to experiencing symptoms of eco-anxiety which include anxiety for the future, depression, hopelessness and guilt, concern for allergies due to constant soot falls, anger and fear of the unknown. On the items of factors that trigger eco-anxiety among participants, 68.1% reported “Thinking about the future” and 37% reported “Lived experience with climate change and environmental degradation.” 46% of participants reported that they need help coping with eco-anxiety, further demonstrating the need for interventions that can facilitate such support.