Young people’s perceptions of climate change in Africa: A scoping review

Abstract

Given Africa’s disproportionate risks from climate change, how young Africans perceive this crisis is crucial for shaping effective mitigation and adaptation strategies. However, a comprehensive understanding of their knowledge and awareness is lacking, limiting the potential for informed and impactful climate action. Addressing these knowledge gaps is crucial for empowering young people as active agents in combating the climate crisis. This scoping review aimed to uncover how young African people in different studies perceive climate change. Journal articles retrieved from the Scopus, Dimensions, and EBSCOhost databases and the Google Scholar index were considered in this review. A total of 975 articles were identified, and only 18 met the inclusion criteria for this review. Most reviewed studies revealed that young African people have a low awareness of climate change. Misunderstandings about the phenomenon, such as attributing climate change to divine will and men’s sins and relying on prayer as a solution, were noted in most studies. Therefore, the findings suggest that enriching young Africans with the requisite knowledge of climate change is important for enhancing their participation in tackling climate change.