Despite the fact that Africa bears the brunt when it comes to erratic global weather patterns, many people are still unfamiliar with the climate change phenomenon, a new survey reveals.
Image: DW/A. Sebastião
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The recent havoc caused by tropical cyclone Idai which struck the southern African countries of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi is a grim reminder that Africa remains the most vulnerable continent as far as climate change mitigation is concerned.
Mozambique: Picking up the pieces after Cyclone Idai
International donors have pledged $1.2 billion to help rebuild parts of Mozambique that were devastated by two cyclones in March and April 2019. Many people have lost everything. Here are the stories of the survivors.
Image: Lena Mucha
Saving the family
Beatriz was able to save herself and her children from the floods. On March 15, 2019, the rising waters took the residents of Grudja village by suprise. For three days they took refuge on rooftops or clung to trees while they waited for the water levels to drop.
Image: Lena Mucha
Health services destroyed
The health center in Grudja was also devastated by the floods. Drugs and medical equipment were destroyed. An emergency medical team has for now taken over the provision of the health services.
Image: Lena Mucha
Safety on the school roof
The roof of the primary school "Nhabziconja 4 de Outubro" served as a rescue point for many survivors. Just weeks after the floods, the school was able to reopen its doors and start classes once again. Many other schools in the region are still closed and reconstruction efforts remain slow.
Image: Lena Mucha
Water levels back to normal
The Revue River in Grudja breached its banks following heavy rainfall brought by the cyclone, flooding large parts of the surrounding land. The water levels have now fallen again and no longer pose a threat to the residents.
Image: Lena Mucha
Still missing
Regina lived in Grudja with her husband and her five children. The floods destroyed their house and their fields. Regina and her husband were able to survive by climbing a tree, but their children were swept away by the floodwaters. Four of them died, one is still missing.
Image: Lena Mucha
Destroyed harvest
Elisabete Moises, Victoria Jaime and 38-year-old Amelia Daute stand in their ruined maize field. Like many others, they survived by climbing onto the roof of the school. 14 of their neighbors, including 9 children, died in the floods.
Image: Lena Mucha
From primary school to health center
In Buzi district, west of Beira, women and children line up to receive medical care from the St John's Ambulance emergency team. This school has been turned into a make-shift health center. Cyclone Idai first made landfall along Mozambique's coastline, hitting the port city of Beira which is home to 500,000 people.
Image: Lena Mucha
Queuing for seeds
In many parts of the country, harvests were destroyed as a result of flooding and heavy rains. The World Health Organization estimates that at least 750,000 people will require food aid this year. In Cafumpe in Gondola district, 50 families received seeds from St John's Ambulance and other local aid organizations to plant maize, beans and cabbage.
Image: Lena Mucha
Reconstruction efforts underway
In the neighborhood of Ponta Gea in Beira, life seems to be getting back to normal. The storm destroyed large parts of Mozambique's infrastructure. Here, damaged electricity and telephone lines are being repaired. But in the surrounding countryside, entire villages need to be rebuilt. Many residents still don't have access to clean water and food.
Image: Lena Mucha
Picking up the pieces
53-year-old Helena Santiago works in the backyard of what used to be her house in the neighborhood of CFM-Maquinino in Beira. She lived here with her husband and eight children. When the cyclone hit Beira, Santiago and her family were able to seek refuge in a nearby train station. But their house was completely destroyed by the storm and she doesn't have enough support to help rebuild it.
Image: Lena Mucha
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A new survey released by Afrobarometer paints a bleak picture of how agriculture conditions are worsening due to delayed rainfall, decreasing quality of life and most surprising of all, little or no knowledge at all about the impact of climate change.
"Farmers in Uganda have been waiting endlessly for rain, and South Africahas experienced excessive flooding," Gugu Nonjinge, Afrobarometer Communications Coordinator for Southern Africa, told DW. "These [unusual weather patterns] shows long term changes in temperatures that ultimately affect rainfall patterns and the ability for Africa as a whole to produce food."
Climate change literacy
In the survey, 'climate change literacy' was described as the perception that the respondent knows about climate change, he or she links it to negative changing weather patterns and recognizes that human activity plays a huge role in climate change due to greenhouse emission.
Whereas 58% of Africans said they had heard about climate change, four in ten admitted that they had never heard of the term before.
South African students recently took to the street to protest against climate change inaction Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/N. Manie
The majority who knew and understood what climate change is said changing weather patters had made life worse in their respective countries. "Climate change is defining the development challenge of our time in Africa," Afrobarometer's spokesperson Nonjinge said.
"Our continent is the most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change." Interestingly, the survey found out that key issues such as water scarcity, food security and agriculture which were raised by those being interviewed are directly connected to climate change.
Africa is a signatory to several international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and the 2016 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. These global pacts seek to fight and reverse the effects of climate change.
The Afrobarometer survey on climate change recommends that African governments, policymakers and activists, to create more awareness especially among those with little knowledge about climate change. The report concludes that this will help build an informed population that understands climate change threats and will support coordinated government and international action.
