Climate Change Adaptation and Community Development in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Port Harcourt, Nigeria, as with many cities in Africa, is already experiencing impacts from climate change while also facing development challenges and compounding vulnerabilities. There is often a gap between the adaptation recommendations of academia and international organizations and the conditions needed to achieve these recommendations given the realities on the ground in cities with vulnerable populations, pressing challenges, and minimal capacity. This gap can make it difficult to translate theoretically persuasive plans and guidance into practically sustainable actions. This chapter builds on the experience of CMAP, a Port Harcourt-based NGO leading participatory mapping, community media, and public space design programs in the city’s informal waterfront settlements. Drawing on the perspectives of Chicoco Collective, the youth-led volunteer network which CMAP supports, and the datasets that they have built, the chapter explores local awareness and skills for climate change adaptation. This chapter concludes with recommendations relevant for Port Harcourt and similar African cities to build on such local skills and experiences and advocates for a partnership-based approach that brings together adaptation professionals and community-based actors for more effective critical analysis of local conditions and prioritization of actions to meet the development and climate change needs of local communities.