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Tanzanians Say Govt Must Do ‘A Lot More’ to Limit Climate Change, but Ordinary Citizens Should Also Do Their Part

Africa News

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Reading time: 2 min.


Most citizens who are aware of climate change say it is making life worse.

Key findings

  • More than half (55%) of Tanzanians say droughts have become “somewhat more severe” or “much more severe” in their region over the past decade.
  • Only about one-third (32%) of Tanzanians say they have heard of climate change. Women (25%), rural residents (24%), and less educated citizens (12%) are particularly unlikely to be aware of climate change.
  • Among citizens who have heard of climate change: o Eight in 10 (81%) say it is making life in Tanzania “somewhat worse” or “much worse.” o Almost half (45%) say ordinary citizens have the primary responsibility for limiting climate change and reducing its impacts, while 40% assign this role to the government. o Overwhelming majorities say that the government should act now to limit climate change, even if it is expensive (86%), and that it must do “a lot more” to mitigate the threat (88%).

Climate change has become a growing concern for policy makers around the world. While Tanzania is one of the world’s lowest emitters of greenhouse gases, it ranks as the 45th-most vulnerable country to climate change among 185 countries assessed by the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index (2021), with low readiness to adapt to and mitigate its effects (International Monetary Fund, 2023).

The country has experienced recurring droughts (e.g. in the semi-arid central and north eastern regions of Dodoma and Singida) and floods leading to deadly landslides (Lasteck & Chibelushi, 2023). Severe droughts and floods have resulted in food shortages, increased poverty, and income inequalities among poor households and smallholder farmers who depend on subsistence farming (Ojija, Abihudi, Mwendwa, Leweri, & Chisanga, 2017).