Knowledge of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies among Secondary School Students in Benin City

Abstract

Climate change is both a global environmental and development issue, and a matter of social, economic, and intergenerational justice, it poses a great threat to humanity. Despite this, knowledge of climate change is neither widespread nor suitably detailed among secondary school students in Nigeria. Gaining a complete understanding of climate change causes, effects, mitigation and adaptation strategies is the first step towards developing a powerful strategy for action. The study examined the knowledge of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies among secondary school students in Benin City. These were with a view to providing information that could enhance awareness level among students and improved educational policy within the state. Data were sourced from senior secondary school students (SSI, SS2 and SS3) within Egor and Oredo local government areas of the state. 339 questionnaires were retrieved from the students and analysed. The results indicated that majority (80.5%) of the students had knowledge of climate change at the surface, when it came to specific cause of climate change, less than half of them had were knowledgeable (36.6%) while only 12% of them had knowledge of mitigation and adaptation strategies. The study concluded that there is need to improve the curriculum to ensure that climate change causes, effects, mitigation and adaptation strategies are well taught across Art, Social science, and Science classes in secondary schools within the state.