LAGOS, Nigeria – Rapid urbanisation, shrinking green spaces and expanding concrete surfaces are intensifying heat in Lagos, with a climate scientist warning that the way the city is built is worsening residents’ exposure to high temperatures.
Assistant Director and Acting Head of the Department of Marine Meteorology and Climate at the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), Dr Edward Akinnigbagbe, raised the concern while speaking with journalists on Tuesday.
He identified the loss of vegetation, traffic emissions, generator use and the expansion of concrete and asphalt surfaces as factors contributing to rising urban heat.
Citing a satellite-based study published in Scientific Reports in 2022, Akinnigbagbe said urbanisation contributed 0.985 degrees Celsius per decade to increases in daytime land-surface temperatures, compared with 0.44 degrees attributed to global climate change. “Climate change raises the baseline, but how we built Lagos amplifies it two times,” he said.
Akinnigbagbe explained that replacing forests, wetlands and open spaces with buildings and paved surfaces increased heat absorption during the day and prolonged heat release after sunset, contributing to the urban heat island effect.
He added that metal roofs, closely packed buildings, small windows and inadequate ventilation could make indoor environments hotter.
Electricity shortages also limited access to fans and other cooling devices, potentially increasing residents’ exposure to excessive heat. “Trees are natural cooling systems,” he said, warning that outdoor workers in markets, bus parks and other exposed workplaces were particularly vulnerable.
Akinnigbagbe noted that high humidity could make it harder for sweat to evaporate, reducing the body’s ability to cool itself. He also discussed the influence of global warming and El Niño on temperature and weather patterns, citing projections that temperatures could reach 42 degrees Celsius by 2030, 44 degrees by 2050 and 46 degrees by 2070.
However, the geographical coverage, baseline and methodology behind those projections were not specified in the information provided. To address urban heat, the scientist urged the Lagos State Government to expand tree cover, protect existing green spaces and promote building practices that reduce heat absorption.
His recommendations included reflective roofing materials, improved ventilation, more shaded public spaces and urban development policies that preserve natural landscapes.
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