Ibadan Journal of the Social Sciences
Volume 22, No. 1, 2024
DOI: 10.36108/ijss/4202.22.0101
Perception of Climate Change Information Dissemination Mediums in Ethiopia
Oluwasinaayomi Faith Kasim
Department of Geography, University of Guyana, Georgetown, Guyana
Abstract
In most developing countries, the dissemination of information about climate change has largely been done by government agencies through mass media. This study examined the sources of climate change information and their reliability in selected cities in Ethiopia. Adopting a survey research design, data on sources and the trustworthiness of climate change information were randomly collected in five Ethiopian cities. The analysis revealed that mass media were the major source of information on climate change. However, with a computed reliability index of 3.08 for all sources of information, the mass media had a low-reliability index of 2.66, compared to faith-based organisations with a 3.50 reliability index. There was apathy towards information from the mass media and government agencies. A high level of trust was ascribed to sources from family and local communities, while religious institutions were perceived to be the most reliable. Therefore, an all-inclusive climate change information dissemination mechanism should be adopted, with the active participation of religious institutions, which have hitherto been left out in climate change discourse in the country.
Keywords: Climate change, information dissemination, information reliability, faith-based organisations, Ethiopia