Climate change in Lagos State, Nigeria: a polycentric governance approach.
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Date
2021
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Abstract
Human-induced activities that cause climate change occur at multiple scales, yet, most climate
governance mechanisms are designed at a single level, such as international, national or regional,
which do not provide an effective solution. The international climate change governance regime
under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has failed to
significantly impact the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and its goal of limiting global
mean temperature below 2 degree Celsius. This has led to the emergence of several multilateral,
bilateral, subnational, transnational and non-state actors operating outside the UNFCCC. Elinor
Ostrom refers to this development as a polycentric approach to climate governance. The
literature on polycentric climate governance is growing. Scholars, however, have given
significant attention to cities in the global North. This study offered an analysis of the efficacy
and effectiveness of polycentrism to climate change governance in Lagos State, Nigeria. The
study contributed to the growing body of literature on polycentrism by providing analytical
insight into (i) What extent the national and international policies have addressed climate change
in Lagos State; (ii) What role has been/can be played by subnational governments in climate
change governance; (iii) How polycentrism can be employed to address climate governance in
Lagos State; and (iv) How effective polycentric initiatives are in addressing climate change in
Lagos State. The study was a single-case endeavour that utilised a concurrent mixed
methodology for data collection. The quantitative data are elicited through an open-ended
questionnaire while the qualitative data used in-depth interviews and purposive sampling
technique to gather empirical data from government officials and community members. The
study revealed that a single governance unit could not effectively provide adequate solutions to
climate mitigation and adaptation issues in Lagos State. The study further showed that climate
change is a polycentric issue that should be dealt with by multiple actors operating at different
levels of governance. The study concluded that polycentrism provides an opportunity for
experimentation and learning among governance units, and the involvement of different actors in
climate change governance has resulted in multiple benefits at diverse levels.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.