Earth Day: Africans say climate change is making life worse, believe their governments and rich countries bear responsibility for reducing its impact

Most Africans who are aware of climate change say it is making their lives worse and call on their governments and wealthy countries to take the lead in reducing its impact, the latest Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org) survey findings reveal.

On average across 28 countries, nearly three-fifths of Africans are aware of climate change. Among those who are familiar with the phenomenon, about two-thirds say human activity is the main cause of climate change. Fully four out of five say climate change is making life in their countries worse, and citizens believe their own governments and rich countries should have primary responsibility for limiting climate change and reducing its impact.

In response to changing weather patterns and environmental degradation, majorities of Africans endorse investments in climate-resilient infrastructure, pressure to be applied on rich countries to provide more climate aid, and more investments in wind and solar energy.

Key findings

• On average across 28 African countries, nearly six in 10 citizens (58%) say they have heard of climate change (Figure 1). Large majorities are aware of this phenomenon in Mauritius (83%), Gabon (79%), Malawi (77%), and Cabo Verde (76%), but fewer than four in 10 say the same in Tanzania (38%), Tunisia (37%), and Nigeria (27%).
• Among citizens who are aware of climate change:
  • Fully eight in 10 (80%) say it is making life in their countries worse, including half (49%) who say “much worse” (Figure 2).
  • About two-thirds (65%) believe that the main cause of climate change is human activity, while 20% say it’s caused by natural processes and 11% think that both human activity and natural processes have caused climate change (Figure 3).
  • Almost half (46%) believe that people, businesses, and governments in other parts of the world are most responsible for causing climate change, but a similar proportion (44%) blame it mainly on the people, businesses, and governments of their own countries (Figure 4).
  • Nearly four in 10 (38%) say their country’s government should bear the primary responsibility for limiting climate change, followed by one-fourth (25%) who look instead to rich or developed countries. One in five (19%) believe the responsibility should be shouldered by ordinary citizens, while only 10% point to business and industry (Figure 5).
• To respond to changing weather patterns and environmental degradation, large majorities endorse investments in climate-resilient infrastructure (82%), greater pressure on rich countries to provide more climate aid (77%), and more funding for wind and solar energy (68%) to generate electricity, even if it increases the price (Figure 6).
  • Views are more divided on other potential policy responses, including banning tree cutting for firewood or charcoal (51% support), promoting electric taxis and buses (45%), and requiring cookstoves that burn cleaner fuel (45%).

Afrobarometer surveys

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 10 surveys were launched in January 2024.

Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice that yield country-level results with margins of error of +/-2 to +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afrobarometer.

For more information, please contact:
Asafika Mpako
Communications coordinator for Southern Africa
Email: ampako@afrobarometer.org
Telephone: +27 83 979 8299

Social Media:
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
YouTube
Instagram
WhatsApp
Bluesky
Visit us online at www.Afrobarometer.org.
Follow our releases on #VoicesAfrica.