- More than eight in 10 Zambians say that crop failure (85%) and droughts (82%) have grown more severe in their area over the past 10 years.
- One-fourth or more report having to adjust their lives in response to changing weather patterns by using less water or changing water sources (34%), changing the types of crops they plant or the food they eat (30%), reducing or rescheduling outdoor work (29%), and reducing their livestock holdings or changing grazing patterns (25%), while 14% say they have moved to a different place.
- Respondents who experience high lived poverty are more likely than their better-off counterparts to report having relocated, changed their patterns of water usage, and altered their outdoor working hours.
- Across all respondents, strong majorities express support for policies to respond to changes in weather patterns, including putting pressure on developed countries for aid (77%), investing in climate-resilient infrastructure (72%), and investing in wind and solar technologies (70%).
Zambia is highly vulnerable to climate change, manifesting through increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and rising temperatures, which pose significant threats to food security, electricity supply, wildlife, human health, livelihoods, and the economy (African Climate Foundation, 2023; Chibwili, 2023a, 2023b; Ministry of Green Economy and Climate Change, 2023). According to the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative’s (2023) country index, out of 187 countries, Zambia ranks 59th in vulnerability and 137th in readiness to act against climate change.
On 29 February 2024, President Hakainde Hichilema declared a national disaster after prolonged drought devastated the agriculture sector, affecting more than 1 million families. The disaster exacerbated the effects of an earlier dry spell and deadly flooding – described as Zambia’s worst in half a century – in 2023 (Al Jazeera, 2024; Chibwili, 2023a).
The country’s heavy reliance on hydroelectric power and rainfed agriculture makes it particularly vulnerable to climate shocks, threatening food security and livelihoods, water availability, electricity supply, and economic development (Al Jazeera, 2024; Teschemacher, Ng’ombe, Fajardo-Steinhäuser, & Wani, 2023).
To address these challenges, the government has committed itself to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol and has integrated climate-change interventions in its Vision 2030 and successive five-year national development plans and programmes. The Ministry of Green Economy and Climate Change’s (2023) National Adaptation Plan, supported by the Green Climate Fund, seeks to strengthen the country’s climate resilience by promoting climate-resilient agriculture, improving water management, and undertaking other disaster risk-reduction measures.
A special question module in Afrobarometer’s Round 10 survey (2024) explores Zambians’ experiences of changing weather patterns and their awareness of and attitudes toward climate change.
Findings show that overwhelming majorities of citizens report worsening drought and crop failure in their region. One-third of respondents report having changed their water source or water-consumption patterns in response to these developments.
Three-fifths of Zambians have heard of climate change. Among those familiar with the concept, large majorities blame it on human activity, say it is making life worse, and call for urgent action by their government and developed countries.
Among all citizens, at least seven in 10 express support for putting pressure on developed countries to provide climate aid to Zambia, for government investment in climate-resilient infrastructure, and for funding for wind and solar energy.
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