Almost two in five (39%) Ethiopians believe climate change poses them no threat at all, despite evidence suggesting the country is currently at risk from its impacts.
According to global safety charity Lloyd’s Register Foundation, Ethiopia ranks second among the countries where a large proportion of people feel unthreatened by climate change. Meanwhile, 40% of adults in Ethiopia consider climate change a threat to their safety, including 16% who say it is ‘very serious’. 21% said they do not know if it is a threat or not.
These figures, which 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’, contrast with the predicted climate change impacts on Ethiopia as projected by the UN Development Program’s Human Climate Horizons platform.
The Human Climate Horizons platform shows that the average annual temperature in Ethiopia could rise from 20°C (68°F) to as high as 24°C (75°F), with 71 days a year above 35°C (95°F) by the end of the century. This increase in temperature could exacerbate the well-documented drought conditions often experienced in the country.
In addition to direct impacts on mortality and productivity, increased temperatures could also indirectly result in more disastrous flooding, as very dry ground is unable to adequately absorb heavy rainfall when it arrives. In late 2023, the south of Ethiopia experienced severe flooding after exceptionally heavy rains following years of drought.
Nancy Hey, Director of Evidence and Insight at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, said: “The evidence suggests that there is a gap between how people feel about climate change in Ethiopia and the level of actual threat that is facing the nation. As such, we believe more needs to be done to raise awareness of the climate impacts that residents of Ethiopia face.
“The scientific evidence continues to show how serious a threat climate change is, and so this evidence needs to be translated and communicated in ways that are easily understandable and relevant to the public. Climate communicators, campaigners and policymakers should look to provide more targeted information to raise awareness among those who currently do not believe climate change is a threat to them.”
Data from the World Risk Poll was collected by global analytics firm Gallup, who conducted 147,000 interviews in 142 countries and territories around the world.
The top 10 countries where people say climate change ‘is not a threat at all’ to them are:
Saudi Arabia (46%)
Ethiopia (39%)
United Arab Emirates (38%)
Israel (36%)
Iraq (33%)
Mali (31%)
Bahrain (30%)
Jordan (28%)
Estonia (27%)
India (25%)