The African Climate Awareness Report - article, bird report and Stickybeak study for download

Nairobi, September 5, 2023

Growing awareness of climate change in Africa is spurring household demand for eco-friendly packaging and mobility options on the continent, according to the Africa Climate Awareness Report 2023, a project of this agency.

It shows the continent is undergoing a shift in its attitudes to consumer staples like plastic and fossil fuels, as more people become aware of the environmental and health impacts of these products.

Based on surveys from almost 7,000 respondents across eight English-speaking African countries, the Stickybeak report, commissioned by Africa No Filter and written by a team at bird Story Agency, shows fossil-powered vehicles and plastic bags and bottles are losing their appeal.

The study was conducted over a period from August 2022 to April 2023 and involved two surveys.

Respondents to the study showed a strong inclination towards green solutions such as solar-PV and electric vehicles, which are slowly entering the market, especially in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt and some Maghreb states.

Several African governments have already introduced tax cuts and other incentives to boost the e-mobility industry and drive the demand for EVs.

“Recognition of the benefits of renewable energy and sustainable practices not only increased between August 2022 and April 2023 but was generally high,” notes the report.

“Positive perceptions of solar power (64% in August 2022 and 67% in April 2023) and electric cars (53% and 54%) suggests a growing awareness of these options and their potential impact.”

Conversely, the positive attitudes to diesel and petrol vehicles, already low, showed a decline (to 22% and 19%, respectively). Attitudes to plastic bags and bottles (with positive attitudes down from 21% to 18%) were also low, indicating a growing understanding of the negative environmental impacts of those items.

The Africa Climate Awareness Report 2023 further revealed that climate denial amongst African respondents was low.

“With less than 20% of the population surveyed believing that climate change is not a natural occurrence or that human activities play no role in it, climate change scepticism is notably low” it notes.

Most of those surveyed attributed the negative impacts of climate change to human actions and inactions.

“The most commonly reported cause was the poor treatment of the environment by people, which stood at 75% and 76% in the two surveys,” the report states. The second most common cause was the lack of government intervention to stop the problems that are causing these issues, which climbed slightly from 57% to 60%," the report further notes.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT & SURVEY RESULTS BELOW

The African Climate Awareness Report 2023-05092023.pdf

Download PDF • 34.78MB

African Climate Awareness Survey Results (Stickybeak).pdf

Download PDF • 9.83MB

For bird.africanofilter.org subscribers, here is a list of our climate-related "evergreen" features you may find useful.

Bottle tops are the paint in this artist's eco-murals

Olufunke Ojukwu's art encourages people to rethink their relationship with waste and have conversations about sustainability

https://www.bird.africanofilter.org/stories/bottle-tops-are-the-paint-in-this-artist-s-eco-murals

Old is gold: Here's why farmers are rediscovering their love for native trees

Joan Wandegi Nthiga is one of many Kenyan farmers turning to regenerative farming to counteract the harmful effects of climate change, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss in her area She has planted over 100 endangered native tree seedlings among her food crops and is now looking to do more to return the region to the wetter, more stable climate she experienced as a child.

https://www.bird.africanofilter.org/stories/old-is-gold-here-s-why-farmers-are-rediscovering-their-love-for-native-trees

Farmers are saying goodbye to blackouts and power bills

In Kenya, small and medium-sized farmers - and even upmarket households - are adopting biodigesters to turn their animal waste into biogas, which they use for cooking fuel and lighting.

https://www.bird.africanofilter.org/stories/farmers-are-saying-goodbye-to-blackouts-and-power-bills

A subsistence woman farmer finds a way to get her rain back

Faustina Amponsah sought help combating the effects of climate change in her farming community. So she linked up with a local environmental group to grow and distribute tree seedlings in her community. She's confident the reforestation will bring back the regular rains.

https://www.bird.africanofilter.org/stories/a-subsistence-woman-farmer-finds-a-way-to-get-her-rain-back

Sweet treats for climate-smart farmers in East Africa

Lower rainfall in parts of East Africa over the past few years has hit smallholder farmers hard. But innovative service companies, farmers and the government have all busied themselves to find solutions to the challenge.

https://www.bird.africanofilter.org/stories/sweet-treats-for-climate-smart-farmers-in-east-africa

Picture feature: Africa's leading geothermal energy producer

Africa's geothermal potential is huge, particularly in the Rift Valley, which extends from the Horn of Africa to Malawi. In East Africa alone, the potential capacity is over 20 GW. Kenya is the leading producer of geothermal energy in Africa and aims to produce over 50% of its power from geothermal energy by 2030.

https://www.bird.africanofilter.org/stories/picture-feature-afrca-s-leading-geothermal-energy-producer

A community wildlife project has helped Kenya double its elephant population. Its secrets to success? Elephant dung paper

A Mombasa wildlife conservatory is turning elephant dung collected from roads into big business - in the process keeping community wildlife reserve landowners happy, building tree cover and becoming part of a growing Kenyan success story in elephant population recovery.

https://www.bird.africanofilter.org/stories/a-community-wildlife-project-has-helped-kenya-double-its-elephant-population-its-secrets-to-success-elephant-dung-paper

You can find more climate stories through our drop-down categories tab on bird.africanofilter.org.

If you are an African digital media publisher and would like to publish bird content, please contact bird@africainsight.co.ke.