A growing link between climate change and rising cancer cases is putting Nigeria’s health system under pressure, experts warn, as new data highlights the country’s increasing vulnerability.

Cancer has become one of the world’s leading causes of death, overtaking HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, according to the World Health Organisation.

Also read: Japan, South Korea Endure Hottest Summers on Record Amid Climate Crisis

In Nigeria, the burden continues to rise, with 127,763 new cases and 79,542 deaths recorded in 2022, figures from the Global Cancer Observatory show.

Breast, prostate, colorectal, cervical and non-Hodgkin lymphoma remain the most common cancers nationwide.

Many of these are shaped by environmental and lifestyle risks — factors that experts say are being intensified by climate change.

Across the country, the signs of environmental stress are evident: soot-laden air in Port Harcourt, extreme heat in northern classrooms, recurrent floods in Lagos and Makurdi, and widespread deforestation.

Health specialists warn that rising cases of cancers with no clear cause may be linked to worsening environmental conditions.

Despite these emerging threats, Nigeria’s climate and health policies often operate in isolation.

Analysts argue the country lacks the integrated policy framework needed to connect environmental protection with disease prevention.

Nigeria has made progress in climate governance, establishing the Climate Change Act (2021), the National Council on Climate Change and the National Climate Change Policy (2021–2030).

The new Climate Change and Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP 2025–2030), developed by the Ministry of Health, also signals increasing recognition of the climate–health relationship.

However, substantial gaps remain. Nigeria ranks 154th out of 181 countries on the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative Index, reflecting high vulnerability to climate shocks and limited readiness.

The HNAP’s Vulnerability and Assessment projects a 21 per cent increase in disease burden due to climate change — a strain the country’s already fragile health system may struggle to withstand.

Climate change acts as a “risk multiplier,” intensifying both infectious and noncommunicable diseases.

The WHO lists nine key health outcomes threatened by climate change, ranging from respiratory conditions to cancers. Yet Nigeria’s policies continue to prioritise infectious disease response, leaving the climate–cancer connection underexplored.

Experts say stronger coordination between the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment and the National Council on Climate Change is essential to building resilience.

Without such collaboration, well-designed policies risk failing to produce real-world impact.

They also recommend integrating health indicators into climate interventions, including clean energy supply for hospitals, safe medical waste disposal, sustainable equipment procurement and mandatory Health Impact Assessments in environmental approvals.

Such measures, they argue, would ensure climate investments safeguard both the environment and human health.

Public awareness of the climate–health link remains low, but advocates stress that prevention begins with individual and community action from proper waste management to demanding cleaner air and greener cities.

Also read: Climate Change NNPC Foundation trains 6,000 farmers nationwide, launches climate-smart agriculture programme in Enugu

As Nigeria braces for escalating climate pressures, experts warn that cancer prevention must become a core component of the country’s resilience strategy rather than an overlooked consequence.