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Youth awareness and perceptions of climate change in Southern Somalia

Abstract

This study investigated youth perceptions of climate change in Southern Somalia, focusing on critical role youth play in addressing the region’s environmental vulnerabili- ties, including recurrent droughts, fooding, and resource scarcity. While global research highlights the importance of youth involvement in climate advocacy, their perspec- tives in Southern Somalia remain underexplored. This study investigates youth percep- tions of climate change in Southern Somalia, a region facing severe climate challenges such as recurrent droughts, foods, and resource scarcity. The role of youth in address- ing these environmental vulnerabilities remains underexplored, despite their critical involvement in climate advocacy globally. This study aims to fll this gap by assessing youth awareness of climate change, their perceptions of human contributions to the phenomenon, and the observed impacts on their communities. A quantitative survey was conducted with 536 youth aged 15–24, with a focus on urban areas, using stratifed random sampling to ensure demographic diversity. Data analysis revealed moderate to high awareness of climate change, with older youth (19–24 years) demonstrating the highest levels of understanding. However, 63.0% of respondents in the youth subsample (ages 15–24) expressed skepticism about human contributions to climate change, compared with 95.8% among respondents older than 24, highlight- ing a gap in understanding. Economic disparities, despite high educational levels, were identifed as signifcant barriers to active youth participation in climate action. The fndings underscore the need for targeted climate education and policies that promote economic opportunities, such as green jobs, to empower youth in climate resilience. These results ofer valuable insights into how socioeconomic conditions infuence youth climate engagement in fragile, climate-vulnerable regions like Southern Somalia, with implications for broader climate adaptation strategies.

Keywords

Climate change Droughts Floods Climate education Green jobs Sustainable development Economic disparities Paris Agreement Resilience

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