Many Africans blame themselves for the impacts of global climate change they are witnessing despite being least responsible for the causes, finds a groundbreaking pan-African research report from the BBC World Service Trust and the British Council.
Just as a lack of practical information and resources hindered attempts to combat the HIV and AIDS pandemic, now millions of people whose lives are directly impacted by climate change do not have access to relevant, appropriate information that helps them respond to challenges they face.
These are some of the findings of Africa Talks Climate, the most extensive research ever conducted on the public understanding of climate change in Africa. Over 1,000 citizens took part in discussions across ten countries, from Sudan to South Africa, Kenya to Ghana. The research found that people tend to cite local issues such as tree cutting and bush burning, rather than global emissions, as the greater cause of their changing climate.
Some people, notably women and those from rural areas, also attribute changes in climate to the will of God. Many feel powerless in their struggle with changing weather patterns, and in an echo of a common early response to the HIV and AIDS pandemic, some attribute extreme weather as a form of divine punishment:
“[God] punishes people because we do bad things… He shows his strength with the hurricanes and storms”, says a young Senegalese woman.
Among nearly 200 opinion leaders interviewed – from media and government representatives to religious and community leaders – many highlight the information gap and compare the challenges of communicating climate change to those of HIV and AIDS:
“When it [the pandemic] started nobody wanted to believe it… but before we knew it, it hit us left, right, and centre… And the same thing is going to happen with climate change”, says Joyce Mhaville, Managing Director ITV Tanzania.
BBC World Service Trust Executive Director Caroline Nursey says the role of the media in strengthening information provision is crucial:
“The initial global response to communicate effectively about the HIV and AIDS pandemic was slow and often inappropriate to local needs: the media have had a critical role in helping combat HIV and AIDS in Africa and must be supported do so again in the case of climate change.”
The key communication challenges highlighted by Africa Talks Climate are:
· Immediate – Many Africans, particularly those in rural areas, are struggling in the face of increasingly unpredictable weather. They need greater information and resources.
· Perceptions – People know their weather is changing, but do not connect it to global climate change.
· Responsibility – Most Africans blame themselves for the impacts they are witnessing and some attribute them to the will of God.
· Language – Climate change terminology is not easy to translate or understand. It provides little insight into the changes that most Africans are experiencing.
· Information – African citizens need spaces to exchange ideas and information, foster understanding and plan for action.
· Leadership – Local leaders are well placed to communicate climate change and help their communities to respond, but are among the least informed about it.
· Media – Many in the sector assert they lack knowledge of climate change and consider it too scientific and not an audience priority. Build capacity of the news and non-news media to communicate climate change in locally relevant ways.
Africa Talks Climate is the first step in developing long-term strategies for sharing information about climate change. It aims to support all those charged with communicating on climate change, whether they be international organisations, governments, the media, NGOs or community leaders.
Notes to Editors:
· Africa Talks Climate is an African-led research and communications initiative exploring the public understanding of climate change. The research covers ten countries: DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Fieldwork was conducted between May and November 2009. More information, including all ten country research reports and an executive summary is available at http://africatalksclimate.com
· A Policy Briefing, Least responsible, most affected, least informed: public understanding of climate change can be downloaded from http://africatalksclimate.com
· The BBC World Service Trust is the BBC’s international development charity. It uses media to enable people to have access to life-changing information that can help them survive, shape their lives and thrive.
· The research was undertaken by the BBC World Service Trust’s Research and Learning Group (R&L). R&L specialises in the design and delivery of research that provides insights into the role of media and communications around development issues.
· The BBC World Service Trust is grateful to the British Council for funding Africa Talks Climate. The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Dedicated to the exchange of knowledge and ideas, the British Council works in the arts, education, science, sport and governance in over 100 countries, last year reaching over 128 million people. For more information, please visit www.britishcouncil.org.
· The BBC World Service Trust is an independent charity funded by external grants and voluntary contributions, mainly from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), the European Union, UN agencies and charitable foundations. Registered charity number: 1076235
· To receive regular updates on the work of the BBC World Service Trust please register for the monthly newsletter http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/trust/.
For further information please contact: Kirsty Cockburn, Director of Communications kirsty.cockburn@bbc.co.uk +44 (0)7801 37 09 91; Grace Davies, Africa Talks Climate, Communications Manager grace.davies@bbc.co.uk +44 (0)7793 04 99 58