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Residents in informal settlements in Lagos — who are among the most vulnerable to climate change — have developed sophisticated, multi-scale climate adaptation systems and are earning a living from climate action, a new study by Brianna Castro, assistant professor of urban sustainability at the Yale School of the Environment, found.

However, government policies are dismantling the settlements in pursuit of development and climate change mitigation policies framed as protection, making all communities in Lagos more vulnerable, according to the study published in Climate and Development.

About 40% of Lagos is comprised of bodies of water, with low-elevation coastal plains that make flooding a constant threat. Many residents prefer to live near the coast where resources are more plentiful and the sandy soils drain faster than inland ground, Castro said.

Residents of informal settlements have created makeshift drainage systems and adaptive infrastructures to cope with rising flood waters. These initiatives include stabilizing land with sand infilling, building bridges, and establishing group shelters. Residents also melt plastic waste and pack it into their home interiors to elevate floors above flood levels.

“The plastic elevation inside the house enables people to stay in their homes and maintain a sense of daily normalcy through flood stages,” Castro said.

Additionally, residents have built livelihoods around climate adaptation, earning income from procuring sand to stabilize land, collecting and distributing plastic waste, and digging freshwater wells. Their services extend beyond their own communities, benefitting wealthier neighborhoods across the city.

We should start asking about the strategies people in the toughest conditions are using to live well, and what gets lost during these evictions that could have been scaled to help others.”

“Informal community adaptations have value both inside and outside the settlements. We’re seeing climate change really driving people’s vocations,” Castro said.

Yet, the country is encouraging coastal development that is leading to the razing of informal housing, where more than 50% of Lagos residents live, often framing demolitions as climate protection measures.

“The state views these spaces as having no value, so they do as much damage as possible,” Castro said. “Instead, we should start asking about the strategies people in the toughest conditions are using to live well, and what gets lost during these evictions that could have been scaled to help others.”