AMMAN —
An overwhelming majority, at 87.6 percent, of Jordanians say they feel a change
in the pattern of the weather, yet only 52 percent indicated their familiarity
with the term “climate change”, according to a recent survey conducted on
climate change by
NAMA Strategic Intelligence Solutions.
اضافة اعلان
The survey, gauging
Jordanians’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in relation to climate change’s
causes and effects on the Kingdom, was conducted on a random sample of 1,827
respondents from Jordan’s 12 governorates, interviewed face-to-face between
February 17 and 27 of this year.
High awareness
levels of
climate change were especially prevalent among respondents with
higher education levels, as indicated by 70 percent of those who have completed
university education, 49 percent among those who completed secondary education,
and 36 percent among those who have not completed secondary education.
When asked about
what they knew about climate change, 54 percent of those who were aware of
climate change linked it to the change in weather and seasons, 20 percent
associated it with global warming, pollution, and rising temperature levels, 10
percent pointed to less water and deforestation, and 7 percent referred to
ozone depletion.
Over half of
Jordanians, 54.4 percent, who are aware of climate change indicated that
climate change is “very important” or “somewhat important” to them personally.
When analyzed in terms of Jordan’s three regions, 49 percent of respondents in
the southern region view climate change as a “very important” issue to them
personally, compared to 36 percent among the respondents in the central region
and 33 percent among those in the northern region.
Further, 51 percent
of Jordanians among those who have heard of climate change believe that it
affects, or will affect, them personally. Of those, 56 percent reported that
climate change may cause health issues while 12 percent referred to economic
implications.
4%
of people say switching to renewable energy can reduce the effects of climate change
When it comes to
causes, 46 percent of Jordanians who have heard of climate change stated that
“air pollution” was the main contributor, compared to 19 percent who pointed to
deforestation and 8 percent blamed consumerism, while 3 percent said that
climate change occurs naturally.
The survey findings
reveal a pessimistic attitude, especially that 58 percent of those who are
aware of climate change believe that there is nothing to be done to combat this
challenge. On the other hand, 28 percent argued that it could be tackled
through reforestation, compared to 22 percent who referred to increasing
regulations on factories to better consider the environment, 21 percent for
using environmentally friendly products, 11 percent for raising awareness, and
7 percent for using electric cars and providing more public transportation
options, while only 4 percent indicated switching to renewable energy can
contribute to reducing the implications of climate change.
When asked about
who should tackle climate change, of those who said they were aware of climate
change 77 percent said that the government, international organizations, and
environmental organizations hold the most responsibility for tackling the
implications of climate change. In contrast, only 6 percent asserted that the
responsibility falls on the individual. This small percentage may also explain
why only 5.6 percent of those who heard of climate change stated that they have
taken, or regularly take, action out of concern for climate change. They
clarified that they preserve the environment, plant trees, and use alternative
energy sources, among other actions.
The survey also
concluded that 64 percent of
Jordanians who have heard about climate change
receive their information from social media platforms, compared to 26 percent
from television channels, and 7 percent from other sources, including radio
stations and newspapers, among others.
When asked where
they would prefer to get their climate change information from, 51 percent of
those who said they were aware of climate change pointed to experts, 23 percent
referred to environmental activists and organizations, and 18 percent indicated
the government. It is worth noting that 57 percent of respondents with
university education prefer to obtain information on climate change from
subject matter experts.
The survey results also show that Jordanians are more
concerned about the water crisis than climate change. In fact, 72 percent of
Jordanians reported that they are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned”
about water scarcity in Jordan in the next 25 years.
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