Between September and November 2009, the BBC World Service Trust conducted research in DR Congo to gauge public understanding of climate change.
The research consisted of 12 focus group discussions in six locations with Congolese citizens, as well as 17 in-depth interviews with opinion leaders from government, religious institutions, the private sector, the media and civil society.
Findings included:
Many are aware of the terms “climate change” and “global warming” and cite the media and schools as their main sources of information. However, few relate these terms to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. most simply use the terms to refer to the changes in the rainy seasons and increases in temperature they are experiencing.
People have a number of misconceptions. Some people inaccurately link climate change to ozone depletion, and outside the capital, most think that “global warming” refers to an increase in the temperature of the air or earth over a short period of time.
There is a strong notion of environmental stewardship linked to people’s faith. People have seen how human activity has harmed their natural environment, and they perceive that human activity could also have an effect on the weather. Many think that the natural environment, including the weather, is God’s creation, and believe that they have a responsibility to protect it.
Opinion leaders say that the term “climate change” should have standard translations in local and national languages, and that awareness-raising initiatives should contextualise the term so that people understand its relevance to their own lives. They say that the media has a role to play in providing people with information about climate change, and media representatives recognise that more needs to be done to develop climate change awareness in the sector.
Many people place great value on the country’s forestsand recognise their importance to both the economy and the people who depend on them directly for their livelihoods. Many believe that loss of trees leads to problems such as erosion and flooding; they also allude to the health benefits of trees.
A few in the capital are aware of the existence of a political debate around funding for forests, and understand that there is potential monetary value to DR Congo in preserving the country’s forests. However, only governmental and NGO opinion leaders recognise the global value of DR Congo’s forests in relation to their ability to act as “carbon sinks”, sequestering large quantities of carbon dioxide that would otherwise enter the atmosphere and strengthen the greenhouse effect.
Congolese citizens are angry at the level of unemployment in the country. They say a lack of jobs means they have no choice but to engage in environmentally-damaging activities such as tree-felling to survive. They feel that it is the government’s responsibility to create employment that will break this cycle. Some opinion leaders and many members of the public criticise governmental mismanagement of agricultural policy, forestry and urban planning.
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