National Interest and Global Environmental Security : Oil Dependency and Nigeria's Role in the International Politics of Climate Change

As a global security threat, rising climatic variability, and the attendant global environmental protection agenda offer platforms for the display and study of power parity and differentials in today's world. The dilineations into annex I and non annex I countries in the Kyoto protocol, and the UNFCCC agreements attests to the disparities in terms of state's responsibility for, influence on, and adaptive capacities, to the deteriorating global environment. The domestic circumstances of individual states plays crucial role in the emerging global politics of environmental protection. Nigeria runs a mono-cultural oil economy in a global regime advocating alternative energy system. This study examines the effects of Nigeria's dependence on oil on her roles in the global politics of environmental protection as nations try to enhance national interest amidst the pressures posed by climate change. The researcher employs political economy approach and power theories in the analysis. The study concludes that Nigeria's climate activism is hampered by domestic economic factors-particularly, her dependency on oil. As such, the domestication of global climate protection frameworks is hindered.