More Liberians Worry about Climate Change

More and more Liberians are getting worried about climate change and its impacts on the country, an Afrobarometer survey shows.

According to the survey, majority of Liberians have heard of climate change and say it is making life in the country worse and want the  government to do “a lot more” to limit its impact.

“Among Liberians who are aware of climate change: more than two-thirds say it is making life worse, a 19-percentage-point increase since 2020,” the survey shows.  “Three-fourths of the citizens say the government has the primary responsibility for fighting climate change and limiting its impact.” 

The Afrobarometer survey comes at a time when the World Bank, in a report, claimed that the impact of climate change in Liberia would exacerbate existing flood related disaster risks and impact water availability.

The 2021 report — which was about profiling climate change risk in the country — projected a rise in extreme weather events with higher frequency over the coming decades. It added that the impact of climate change in the country would lead to a rise in sea level, coastal flooding, and erosion. 

According to the World Bank, about 0.8 square km of land has been lost in recent decades to the impact of climate change. 

In the Greater Monrovia area alone, a predicted 16cm sea level rise by 2030 would affect 675,000 people and 9,500 hectares of land, the Bank noted. The Bank also notes that the impact of climate change in Liberia is going to have significant impacts on key sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and energy, and could exacerbate existing social and economic vulnerabilities, particularly among the rural poor.

According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2021, Liberia is ranked as the 29th most vulnerable country to climate change out of 181 countries assessed.  The index takes into account the exposure of a country to climate-related hazards such as extreme weather events, as well as its vulnerability and capacity to cope with and adapt to these hazards.

Meanwhile, the Afrobarometer survey also noted that besides the government, respondents also look to other key businesses and industries, developed countries, and ordinary citizens — to do a lot more to limit climate change. 

The survey added that 7 n 10 citizens believe that the government was performing “fairly badly” or “very badly” in handling climate change.

“Strong majorities say the government (74%), business and industry (63%), and developed countries (62%) need to do a lot more to limit climate change. Half (49%) say the same about ordinary citizens,” Afrobarometer  says.

According to Afrobarometer, while a majority of Liberians have heard of climate change, about four in 10 Liberians are still unfamiliar with the phenomenon.

Afrobarometer, which is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network, conducts face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice. The Afrobarometer team in Liberia, led by the Center for Democratic Governance (CDG), interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,200 adult citizens between 25 August and 2 September 2022.