A systematic review of challenges facing climate change education in Nigeria and its public health consequences

Climate change poses escalating threats to public health worldwide, with low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria experiencing disproportionate risks from rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, flooding, droughts, and associated vector-borne diseases, malnutrition, respiratory illnesses, and heat stress. Education is widely recognized as a vital tool for building climate resilience, yet climate change education (CCE) in Nigeria faces persistent barriers, including fragmented curricula, inadequate teacher training, resource shortages, and low public awareness. This systematic review maps the challenges facing CCE in Nigeria and examines their linkages to public health consequences. The objectives were to identify barriers to CCE implementation, describe associated public health impacts in the Nigerian context, and explore interconnections between educational gaps and health outcomes. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, BMC, Frontiers, Scopus, African Journals Online, and grey literature sources from January 2010 to March 2026 using terms combining climate change indicators with education concepts restricted to Nigeria. Results highlight three dominant themes: curriculum and policy deficits, awareness and capacity gaps, and resource and infrastructural constraints. These barriers collectively limit adaptive behaviors and amplify disease burdens, particularly in rural and northern regions. Deficient CCE correlates with poor hygiene practices during floods and low uptake of heat-mitigation strategies, exacerbating malaria, cholera, and respiratory conditions. In conclusion, strengthening CCE through curriculum reform, teacher training, and multisectoral collaboration is essential to mitigate public health risks. Recommendations include integrating climate-health modules across all educational levels, scaling community awareness programs, and prioritizing rural infrastructure investment. Future research should evaluate intervention effectiveness using longitudinal and mixed-methods designs.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate change 2022: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. 2022. Available from: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-ii/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009325844

World Health Organization. Climate change and health. 2023. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health

Romanello M, Walawender M, Hsu SC, et al. The 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: Facing record-breaking threats from delayed action. Lancet 2024;404:1847-96. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01492-2

Wright CY, Kapwata T, Naidoo N, et al. Climate change and human health in Africa in relation to opportunities to strengthen mitigating potential and adaptive capacity: strategies to inform an African “brains trust.” Ann Glob Health 2024;90:7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.4260

UNESCO. Education for sustainable development: a roadmap. 2021. Available from: https://doi.org/10.54675/YFRE1448 DOI: https://doi.org/10.54675/YFRE1448

Muccione V, Ewen T, Vaghefi SA. A scoping review on climate change education. PLoS Clim 2025;4:e0000356. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000356

Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative. Helping countries and cities counter the risks of a changing climate. 2024. Available from: https://gain.nd.edu/

Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria. Nigeria climate change and health national vulnerability and adaptation assessment report. 2024. Available from: https://www.atachcommunity.com/fileadmin/uploads/atach/Documents/Country_documents/Nigeria_Climate_and_Health_VA_assessment_report_-_FINAL.pdf

Niyi-Odumosu F, Ozoh OB, Ope VO, et al. Exploring the impact of climate change on respiratory health in Nigeria: a scoping review of current research, government policies and programs. Clim Change 2025;178:35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-025-03880-0

Oluwatimilehin IA, Akerele JO, Oladeji TA, et al. Assessment of the impact of climate change on the occurrences of malaria, pneumonia, meningitis, and cholera in Lokoja City, Nigeria. Reg Sustain 2022;3:309-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsus.2022.11.007

Amanchukwu RN, Amadi-Ali TG, Ololube NP. Climate change education in Nigeria: The role of curriculum review. J Educ Pract 2015;5:71-9.

Akinbami JFK, Akinbami CAO. Climate change mitigation and adaptation studies in Nigeria universities: achievements, challenges and prospects. In: Leal Filho W, ed. Climate change research at universities. Cham: Springer; 2017. pp 129-48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58214-6_9

Oruonye ED, Oruonye IM, Ahmed YM. The necessity of climate change and environmental education curriculum in Nigeria’s basic educational system. Jalingo J Soc Manag Sci 2023;4.

Aborode AT, Otorkpa OJ, Abdullateef AO, et al. Impact of climate change-induced flooding water related diseases and malnutrition in Borno State, Nigeria: a public health crisis. Environ Health Insights 2025;19:11786302251321683. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/11786302251321683

Akatah BM, Onyeaka H, Onungwe I, et al. Climate change-induced heatwaves in Nigeria: Causes, challenges, and adaptive strategies. J Environ Manag 2025;394:127433. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127433

Okon EM, Falana BM, Solaja SO, et al. Systematic review of climate change impact research in Nigeria: Implication for sustainable development. Heliyon 2021;7:e07941. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07941

Pinchoff J, Etetim EO, Babatunde D, et al. How climate change is shaping young people’s health: A participatory, youth co-led study from Bangladesh, Guatemala and Nigeria. BMJ Glob Health 2025;10:e016788. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2024-016788

Oyelakin TE, Bisiriyu OL. Perceptions of climate change and health implications in Nigeria: A planetary health perspective using Afrobarometer data. Discover Public Health 2026;23:299. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12982-026-01612-y

Mbonu NG. Climate change and Nigerian child health: a newspaper analysis. Texas ScholarWorks. 2024. https://doi.org/10.26153/tsw/55711

Federal Government of Nigeria. National climate change policy (2021-2030). 2021. Available from: https://www.preventionweb.net/quick/83283

Page MJ, McKenzie JE, Bossuyt PM, et al. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 2021;372:n71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71

Levac D, Colquhoun H, O’Brien KK. Systematic studies: advancing the methodology. Implement Sci 2010;5:69. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-5-69

Hong QN, Fàbregues S, Bartlett G, et al. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018 for information professionals and researchers. Educ Inf 2018;34:285-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-180221

Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol 2006;3:77-101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Monday FI. Investigating effects of climate change on health risks in Nigeria. In: Environmental factors affecting human health. London: IntechOpen; 2020.

Abdulqadir ML, Muhammed SA, Yusuf J. Impact of climate change awareness on undergraduates’ socio-emotional well-being in Nigeria. Int J Emot Educ 2022;14:53-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.56300/GDUE5169

Surge Africa. Nigeria’s health at risk: how collaborative climate solutions can help save over 200 million lives. 2024. Available from: https://www.surgeafrica.org/blog/climate-and-health

UNICEF Nigeria. Climate change education. 2025. Available from: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/documents/climate-change-education

Universal Basic Education Commission. Handbook for schools on climate change education. 2025. Available from: https://ubec.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Updated-final-print-Climate-Change-Education-Handbook.pdf

Delprato M, Shephard D. Climate change and its impact on education completion rates across four sub-Saharan African countries: a non-parametric approach at the community level. Int J Educ Dev 2024;110:103129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103129

Ayanlade A, Jegede MO. Climate change education and knowledge among Nigerian university graduates. Weather Clim Soc 2016;8:465-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-15-0071.1

Eze E, Nwagu EKN, Onuoha JC. Nigerian teachers’ self-reported climate science literacy and expressed training needs on climate change concepts: prospects of job-embedded situative professional development. Sci Educ 2022;106:1535-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21743

Okafor CC, Ajaero CC, Madu CN, et al. Climate change mitigation and adaptation in Nigeria: a review. Sustainability 2024;16:7048. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167048

Omokaro GO. Multi-impacts of climate change and mitigation strategies in Nigeria: agricultural production and food security. Sci One Health 2025;4:100113. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soh.2025.100113

Tshabalala S, Lunga W, Baloyi C. Climate change education: preparing African youth for future challenges. Sustainability 2025;17:4267. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104267

Okereke C, Okoh S, Ogenyi T, Olorunfemi G. Assessment of climate awareness, policy development, and action across Nigerian states. Front Clim 2025;7:1650172. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2025.1650172

Ajagbe CA. Climate change awareness and education: An antidote to the impacts of climate change. Faculty Nat Appl Sci J Basic Environ Res 2025;2:17-26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.63561/jber.v2i3.822

Obi JN, Ojo E. Mainstreaming climate change in school curricula: Critical review of pedagogy, policy and Global South perspectives. Cogent Educ 2026;13:2613489. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2026.2613489

Filho WL, Okafor UA, Alhassan I, et al. Climate change, education, and malaria at African universities: A scoping review to assess education provision on the effects of climate change on malaria in the curricula of African universities. Crit Public Health 2025;35:2527709. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2025.2527709

Gkouliaveras V, Kalogiannidis S, Kalfas D, et al. Climate change and health systems: a scoping review of health professionals’ perceptions and readiness for action. Climate 2026;14:12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cli14010012

Adodo A, Imoudu M. People’s perceptions of the impact of climate change and the effect of a community development project in Nigeria. Int J Soc Qual 2023;13:1-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3167/IJSQ.2023.130103

Fada SA, Akuraga F, Uganden IA. An assessment of the issues on climate change for education in Nigeria. Jalingo J Soc Manag Sci 2024;6:610.

Baba N, Ibrahim AA, Sambo SA, Bayaro M. Challenges of developing climate change curricula for basic education level in Nigeria. Niger J Curric Stud 2023;20:119-25.

Elias P, Omojola A. Case study: the challenges of climate change for Lagos, Nigeria. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 2015;13:74-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2015.02.008