Perception and Role of Religious Leaders in Climate Change Awareness and Mitigation in Sokoto State

Abstract

It is a well-established fact that religious leaders play a prominent role in shaping, guiding and moulding of opinion, thinking and behaviour of adherent of their religion. How people perceived climate change and how it can be mitigated can be strongly influenced by the perception and roles played by religious leaders (who are often revered and respected) in that regard. Their contribution to the discourse on climate change can and will greatly enhance understanding of the phenomena and its mitigation means particularly amongst their subjects. Data for the study were collected via primary and secondary sources. Primary data was collected via administration of structured questionnaire to 125 Islamic Scholars (selected purposively) in Sokoto State. Major findings of the study reveals that majority of the scholars believes climate change is a reality and is affecting the environment and livelihoods of a lot of people negatively. The study highlighted that Islam strongly advocated for tree planting as an act of charity. Furthermore, the study found out that the role of religious leaders in educating their subjects on climate change awareness and mitigation is negligible and they attributed this to non-involvement by government and non-state actors such as NGOs and CSOs, inability to single-handedly carry out awareness campaign due to financial constraints and inaccessibility to electronic media. The study recommends among others, the need to engage these vital actors in climate change awareness and mitigation campaign(s) and supporting them with all necessary inputs financial and material to ensure their active involvement in climate change education as well as enhancement of sustainable communities and livelihoods in the study area.