PP97: Adapting to a changing climate

Scientists continue to issue urgent warnings about accelerating climate change, with each  year bringing new evidence of its devastating impacts globally (Intergovernmental Panel on  Climate Change, 2023a; NASA, 2024). Recent years have witnessed unprecedented extreme  weather events across the African continent that underscore the immediacy of the climate  crisis, from tropical cyclone Freddy and severe drought in Southern Africa to record-breaking  heatwaves and catastrophic floods in the Sahel (Barnes et al., 2024; Pinto et al., 2024). 

Yet the global political landscape for climate action has become more challenging. Major  greenhouse-gas emitters, including the United States, have retreated from climate  commitments, threatening to undermine international climate agreements  and domestic climate policies (Dolphin, 2025). At the same time, African  leaders demand additional financial support to finance green-energy  projects but are divided over how quickly their countries should transition to  green energies (Chime, 2025; FSD Africa 2025). On one hand, Ethiopia,  Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa have made meaningful progress toward  adopting renewable energy sources. On the other hand, countries with  large oil and natural-gas reserves (e.g. Nigeria and Senegal) are more reluctant to commit to  the green-energy transition and the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions (Kimeu, 2023;  Climate Investment Funds, 2025).  

This evolving context makes understanding public opinion about climate change more  critical than ever. As international cooperation remains challenging, building domestic  support for climate action increasingly depends on understanding what citizens know, what  they are experiencing, how they adapt to climate change, and what policies they support. This is particularly urgent for African nations, which face disproportionate climate impacts  despite minimal contributions to global emissions (Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative,  2023).  

While climate-change mitigation is essential globally, adaptation is the more immediate  challenge in Africa. Take the continent’s agricultural sector: About 80% of farmers in sub Saharan Africa are engaged in smallholder agriculture, cultivating low-yield staple food  crops on small plots with minimal use of inputs and technology (Oyewole, 2022). On a per capita basis, these farms contribute relatively little to CO2 emissions. But they are highly  dependent on rainwater and the vagaries of the weather; less predictable rainfall severely  affects the yields, and thus the livelihoods, of these farmers (Oyewole, 2022; Lemarpe et al.,  2022).  

Moreover, rapid urbanisation on the continent leads to growing informal settlements in  floodplains and on steep unstable hillsides, placing those residents in the direct path of  floods, storm surges, and landslides. Similarly, urban areas that lack green spaces make cities  significantly hotter than surrounding rural areas, intensifying the risk of heatwaves and heat related illnesses.  

Adaptation to the negative impacts of climate change requires both government action  and citizen support. Gauging public climate-change literacy, lived experience of climate  change, and policy preferences can help governments, civil society organisations, and  climate advocates to design effective interventions, target communication strategies, and  build the political will necessary for ambitious climate policies across the continent.  Understanding where citizens stand on these issues is essential for translating climate-change  literacy into meaningful and transformative action – particularly on climate adaptation. 

Findings from Afrobarometer’s latest round of public-opinion surveys in 38 African countries  show that rates of climate-change awareness and climate-change literacy vary  considerably, with island nations showing the highest levels of understanding. Crucially,  climate-change literacy has increased in many countries since 2016/2018, particularly in  West Africa. These rates tend to be higher among men, urban residents, and citizens with  greater wealth, education, and access to news.

We also find that the impacts of climate change are widely felt across the continent, with  drought and crop failure representing the most commonly reported effects. Most climate change-literate citizens say climate change is making life in their countries worse. In  response, substantial portions of the population have adapted by changing water sources or  reducing water use, reducing or adjusting outdoor work hours, and/or altering agricultural  and food-consumption practices, with rural, poorer, and agricultural communities particularly  likely to engage in adaptation strategies. 

Importantly, Africans demonstrate strong support for climate action. While climate-change literate citizens overwhelmingly believe that rich, developed countries should take  immediate action and should assist poorer nations, they also want their own governments to  take proactive measures – such as investing in infrastructure and adopting mitigation policies  – despite their potential costs. Primary responsibility for climate action is most widely assigned  to national governments, though there has been a notable shift in recent years toward  holding wealthy nations accountable.