A Critique of Indicators of Climate Variability and Climate Change and its Variability in Developing World

Résumé

Various terms have been used to describe variations of the state of climatic conditions of a region. These terms include climatic variability, climatic fluctuations, climatic trends, climatic cycles, and climate change. However, both climate variability and change are interchangeably used in many contexts. This paper reviews the contextual literatures on climate variability and changes over time and a critic of this variability in developing countries of the world. Some consequences attributed to climate change such as high temperature, biodiversity loss, health challenge, and food security are caused by increase in human population, urban growth and development, innovation and technology, industrialization and deforestation in African countries. These indices are indirectly referred to as human induced causes of climate change. This study observed that, using variability in agricultural productivity and running water volume as measure may not accurately and empirically justify climate change but variability. Indicators and causes attached to climate variability and change have been time immemorial but these variables were not earlier recognized. The study recommends controlling measures that can slow down biodiversity loss due to geometric consumption of environmental resources beyond recovery level in developing countries such as Nigeria.