Virtual Reality's Impact on Public Engagement with Climate Change Scenarios in Nigeria

Jack Gladys Uzezi, Polycarp Comfort Bulus

Abstract


Climate change is regarded by scholars as one of the most consequential environmental challenges of the twenty-first century, yet public awareness and behavioral engagement are kept critically low across sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. The impact of Virtual Reality (VR) technology on public engagement with climate change scenarios in Jalingo Education Zone, Taraba State, Nigeria, was investigated in this study through a descriptive survey design. Construal Level Theory, Embodied Simulation Theory, the Extended Elaboration Likelihood Model, and Social Cognitive Theory were drawn upon to examine how climate literacy, empathic identification with climate-affected communities, and pro-environmental behavioral intentions are influenced by immersive VR experiences. Data were collected by a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 320 respondents drawn from educational institutions, governmental agencies, and community organizations in Jalingo Education Zone, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential techniques including mean scores, standard deviation, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Climate change salience is significantly elevated by VR, empathy with vulnerable communities is enhanced, and stronger pro-environmental behavioral intentions are generated compared to conventional communication modalities, the findings indicate. However, the scalability of VR interventions in the study area is constrained by critical barriers, including infrastructural deficits, prohibitive hardware costs, content localization inadequacies, and digital literacy gaps. It is concluded that while substantial promise as an instrument of climate change public engagement in Nigeria is held by VR, coordinated policy action, targeted investment in digital infrastructure, locally contextualized content development, and integration into science education curricula at secondary and tertiary levels are required for its effective deployment. 


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