The worsening impacts of climate change in three densely populated regions of the world could see over 140 million people move within their countries’ borders by 2050, creating a looming human crisis and threatening the development process.
This is contained in a new World Bank Group report released to DAILY POST on Monday.
It noted that Nigeria is one of the countries to be affected.
But this may further worsen the herders/farmers clashes which have claimed hundreds of lives in recent years.
In February, the Nigerian government through the National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno observed that “climate change, ethno-religious conflicts, herder/farmer conflicts and bad politics combine to present imminent security challenge for all Nigerians”
Similarly, Miyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), the body of herdsmen in the country, recently blamed climate change for conflicts.
“The climate change and the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East as well as the activities of cattle rustlers have made the pastoralists to migrate to the southern part of the country in search of pasture”, the group had said.
In its findings, World Bank noted that “With concerted action – including global efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and robust development planning at the country level – this worst-case scenario of over 140m could be dramatically reduced, by as much as 80 percent, or more than 100 million people.
“The report, Groundswell – Preparing for Internal Climate Migration, is the first and most comprehensive study of its kind to focus on the nexus between slow-onset climate change impacts, internal migration patterns and, development in three developing regions of the world: Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.
“It finds that unless urgent climate and development action is taken globally and nationally, these three regions together could be dealing with tens of millions of internal climate migrants by 2050.
“These are people forced to move from increasingly non-viable areas of their countries due to growing problems like water scarcity, crop failure, sea-level rise and storm surges.”
(Daily Post)
