Abstract:
Understanding public awareness about climate change is important
in directing policy on adaptation and mitigation policies. This paper
examines urban residents
’
awareness and concern about climate
change and their autonomous behaviour and mitigation measures
in the coastal city of Mombasa through a survey of 290 subjects. The
study established that most (96.6%) residents of the city are aware
that climate change is taking place and link its causes mainly on
deforestation, fuel combustion and nature but less to household
activities and poor waste disposal. Although they were able to iden-
tify its consequences as an increase in average temperature, occur-
rence of infectious diseases and
fl
ooding, there are certain
misconceptions such as ozone layer depletion (67.6%) and earth-
quake/tremor (12.1%). The study established that a number of resi-
dents a
ffi
rmed some autonomous adaptive behaviour such as
staying indoors during extreme temperatures and having an emer-
gency kit at home. The results of the study demonstrate that aware-
ness and concern about climate change had strongest e
ff
ect on
reduced energy consumption at home, and that the strongest barrier
to taking mitigation steps is lack of necessary skills. The study con-
cludes by recommending sensitization of urban public on the nega-
tive contributions of household activities and poor waste disposal to
the concentration of greenhouse gases and the need to focus cam-
paigns on personal mitigation activities
