Climate, Conflict Intersect As Nigeria Hosts Global Adaptation Forum

Nigeria has convened regional and international stakeholders in Abuja to confront the growing convergence between climate change and insecurity, with top government officials and global experts warning that failure to integrate peacebuilding into climate adaptation could deepen fragility across vulnerable countries.

At the opening of the three-day Peer Learning Forum on National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes in conflict-affected countries, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Salisu Aminu Usman, said the accelerating impacts of climate change are no longer theoretical but already fueling economic losses, environmental degradation, and violent conflicts.

“Urgent solutions are required before it gets out of hand,” he warned, linking rising insecurity, including farmer-herder clashes and banditry, to climate-induced pressures on land and resources. He stressed that adaptation must go beyond environmental planning to address “the root drivers of fragility” through conflict-sensitive strategies.

Usman disclosed that Nigeria’s National Adaptation Plan, currently in its final stages, incorporates peacebuilding considerations and aligns with the country’s broader climate commitments under several global frameworks. He added that the plan is backed by international support, including the Green Climate Fund, and aims to strengthen resilience in communities most exposed to climate risks.

The permanent secretary further noted that while Nigeria has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 47 per cent with international support, adaptation remains critical, particularly for developing nations facing “high exposure and low institutional readiness”, he said.

Also speaking, Director, Nature for Resilience at the International Institute for Sustainable Development(IISD), Alec Crawford, said the intersection of climate risks and conflict has become a defining challenge for many countries, especially across Africa.

“We are meeting at a time when the link between climate risks, war, and conflict is no longer abstract,” Crawford said, noting that climate impacts are unfolding alongside displacement, violence, and institutional strain.

He cautioned that adaptation planning is often treated as a purely technical exercise, whereas in reality it involves complex political and economic decisions about resource allocation and national priorities. In conflict-affected settings, he added, adaptation efforts must compete with urgent demands for security, humanitarian response, and stability of governance.

Crawford emphasised the need for stronger coordination between climate, development, and peacebuilding actors, arguing that “there is a shared need to move beyond treating climate risk and fragility as separate policy agendas.”

According to him, the forum provides a platform for countries to exchange practical experiences on integrating conflict sensitivity into climate risk assessments, policy design, and implementation frameworks.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Director of the Department of Climate Change at the Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr Iniobong Abiola-Awe, underscored the urgency of adapting to intensifying climate impacts that are already affecting infrastructure, ecosystems, and national security.

“Extreme weather events and climate variability are impacting many sectors and are projected to worsen,” she said, stressing that adaptation is essential to safeguard livelihoods and maintain stability.

She highlighted Nigeria’s progress in validating its NAP, describing it as a participatory and transparent framework designed to identify long-term adaptation needs while embedding conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding across all levels of implementation.

Abiola-Awe said the Abuja forum would enable countries to share lessons and develop practical approaches for implementing adaptation strategies “through the lens of conflict sensitivity.”