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Almost two in five North Africans (38%) now view climate change as a ‘very serious’ threat to people in their country, according to a global safety charity.
The figures come from the latest edition of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, and are explored further in its latest report: ‘What the world worries about: global perceptions and experiences of risk and harm’. The data was collected by global analytics firm Gallup, who conducted 147,000 interviews in 142 countries and territories around the world, and found that Northern Africa had the biggest increase in people who believe climate change to be a threat to their country.
According to the report, the region is the only one to see a “decisive increase” (12 percentage points) in views of climate change as a ‘very serious’ threat, from 26% in 2019 to 38% in 2023. Those who view climate change as a ‘somewhat serious’ threat also increased, from 31% in 2019 to 33% in 2023, meaning almost three quarters (71%) now view it as a threat.
These figures are set against the backdrop of the increasing frequency of severe weather events in the region, with one in six people (15%) saying they have personally experienced harm or know somebody who has experienced harm in the past two years as a result. Although the is below the 29% global figure, North Africa grappled with numerous devastating floods and fires in 2023 which led to loss of life and widespread destruction.1
All North African countries reported an increase in people who view climate change as a very serious threat, apart from Libya which saw a six percentage point decline (from 24% in 2019 to 18% in 2023). Libya and Morocco also appeared second and third on the top 10 list of countries with the highest proportions of people who responded ‘don’t know’ to the same question (48% and 41%, respectively).
While the region as a whole has improved in its awareness of the serious threat climate change poses to safety, the high proportion of ‘don’t knows’ in some countries suggests there is still work to do at national level to improve understanding of the link between climate change and recent severe weather events.
Nancy Hey, Director of Evidence and Insight at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, said: "While it is encouraging that the people of North Africa now appear to be much more conscious of the risks posed by climate change, this has tragically come at the cost of the devastating severe weather events seen across the region in recent years. This awareness, however, presents governments with an opportunity to explore stronger policies to better prepare communities and keep people safe."
Jebi Rahman, Head of Global Implementation at Climate Group, added: "In the fight against climate change, its people that matter. This report sends a stark message as world leaders negotiate our future in Baku. People everywhere, but particularly those in the vulnerable communities of North Africa, are feeling this very serious threat. This is a real danger to their sense of security.
"This is where the Under2 members - a coalition of 183 subnational governments - has a real opportunity to support people to understand the climate risk and explore solutions that help build peoples’ resilience to the climate threat.
"We look forward to continuing to work with them on these common policy issues, and welcome other states from the North African and other global regions to join our coalition and share challenges and solutions."
The Disaster Risk Reduction for Africa (DRR4Africa) project seeks to improve the resilience of three selected African cities to climate-induced disasters by collaboratively identifying the biggest disaster threats, and developing solutions packages tailored to these cities.
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