CONCEPTUALIZATION OF URBANIZATION STRUCTURE AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

Abstract

Urbanization is synonymous with environmental challenges. In developing countries, the
challenges have assumed higher dimensions proportionally due to multifarious issues of rapid
changes in the environment, due to development, through population growth and
industrialization, and accompanied by all kinds of pollution such as air pollution, waste
disposal, land use degradation, and vehicular pollution as the resultant effects of man’s
interaction with the environment. The main characteristic effect is the raised temperature of the
city centre (UHI) leading to excessive energy use for cooling and putting urban population at
great morbidity and mortality risks. This paper literally explores the conceptual framework of
interaction between urbanization structure and understanding social impacts of climate change
and variability for the evaluation of strategies in the urbanized environment that might serve as
adaptive response to climate change. The urbanization structure that affects Lagos state is
discussed in relation to the location of the city, the size, the population density, urban
geometry, thermal property, air pollution, land use pattern, wind speed and anthropogenic
activities. The study revealed that climate change is posing increasing challenges for cities
placing greater stress and impacts on multiple social and biophysical systems, including urban
infrastructure, water and energy demand simultaneously, followed by a strong global trend
towards urbanization of urban poverty. The study concluded that climate change has impacted
greatly on virtually all the socio-economic aspects of man.