Climate change literacy linked to adaptation among Africa's most vulnerable
Abstract
Abstract Climate change literacy is widely assumed to enable adaptation, an assumption underpinning major investments in climate change education across low- and middle-income countries. Yet empirical evidence linking climate change literacy to enacted adaptation has remained scarce and anecdotal. Analysing Africa’s largest representative public opinion survey covering 50,961 respondents across 38 countries merged with 9km resolution climate trend data, we show that climate change literacy is robustly associated with self-reported adaptation at continental scale. Those who are most vulnerable to climate impacts are most likely to engage in adaptive measures when climate change literate. Exposure to harmful 30-year climate trends, and perceptions of resulting impacts, is associated with increased adaptation across levels of climate change literacy. Concerningly, climate change literacy has declined across most of Africa since 2016. These findings support sustained investment in climate change literacy as adaptation policy, particularly where material resources are fewest.
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