CAPACITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

ON YOUTH OF LILONGWE CITY.

Robert Matengula, MSc, BA, Dip.

Julius Ng’oma, BSc

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 FACTS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
• The warming trend in the global average
surface temperature is expected to continue,
with increases projected to be in the range of
1.4 to 5.8 ºC by 2100 in comparison to 1990
(IPCC 2001a)
• The sectors particularly vulnerable to climate
change are those on which rural people
largely depend for their livelihoods:
agriculture, forestry and fisheries; and water.

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 FACTS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
Cont’d
The effects of climate change include:
 food insecurity,
 reduced water availability,
 ill health,
 loss of biodiversity,
 and an increase in extreme weather events -
all of which hit the poorest hardest

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 KEY DEFINITIONS
• Adaptation: Refers to adjustments in individual,
group and institutional behaviour in order to
reduce society’s vulnerabilities to climate.
(Pielke, 1998)
• Capacity: defined as the ability or potential of a
human or natural system to respond successfully
to climate variability and change (Adger et al.,
2007)
• Climate Change: Refers to any change in climate
over time whether due to natural variability or as
a result of human activity (IPCC, 2007)

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 KEY DEFINITIONS Cont’d
• Mitigation: entails all human interventions that
reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of
greenhouse gases (adapted from IPCC 2001a)

• Vulnerability: refers to the degree to which a

system is susceptible to, and unable to cope with,
the adverse effects of climate change, including
climate variability and extremes (IPCC 2007b,p.21).

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 HYPOTHESIS
• Perceptions, level of knowledge and
skills that individuals (youth) posses
influence their capability to participate
in adaptation and mitigation of climate
change impacts.

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 Why Youth Matters in Climate
Change
• Long term action requires the involvement of
youth. Not only because young people will
have to live with the severe consequences of
climate change and because they are the
decision-makers of tomorrow but because
they can contribute to finding solutions
TODAY.

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 MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
 The study was carried out to identify and
assess knowledge gaps and perceptions of
youth in Lilongwe City on climate change
issues and their ability to respond to climate
change.

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 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
 Identification of existing knowledge gaps, skills
and perceptions among the youth on climate
change;
 Designing and developing youth programs
that will ensure effective engagement of
youth in adapting and mitigating impacts from
climate change;
 Formulating climate change policies that
incorporate capacity needs of the youth.

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 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
 The study was guided by United Nations
Development Program Capacity Assessment
Framework which is one of the frameworks
that are common in capacity needs
assessment.
 The study was conducted in Lilongwe City
located at 13°59′S and 33°47′E, in the central
region of Malawi.

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 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
 Lilongwe has a population of 1, 346, 360 of
which 290, 959 are youth, within the age of 15
to 24 years representing 21.6% of the total
district population.
 Focus for the study included Areas 12, 25, 36,
49, Chinsapo, Biwi, Estate Falls, Chilinde, Bwaila
and Kawale.

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 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
• Simple random sampling technique was used to
select 100 youths from area 12, 25, 36, 49, Chinsapo,
Biwi, Estate Falls, Chilinde, Bwaila and Kawale who
responded to the questionnaire.
• Data was collected from 23rd to 27th June, 2010.
• Analysis of the collected data was done using
Microsoft Excel and SPSS

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 RESULTS AND FINDINGS

• 100% of the respondents admitted that it was

their first time to have been engaged in Climate
Change discussion.
• Level of excitement amongst respondents was
very high.
• Respondents felt there is need to urgently
address the issue of climate change.

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 Causes of Climate Change

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 Mitigation measures for climate
change

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 Adaptation measures for climate
change

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 Respondents perceptions on climate
change

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 Responsible entities for mitigations

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 CONCLUSIONS
• 100 % of the respondents admitted to know
climate change,
• only 10% were able to define the term climate
change,
• more than 75% were unable to identify key
impacts of climate change,
• At least 15% managed to give some examples
of mitigation measures and;
• only 13% correctly identified adaptation
measures for climate change.
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 RECOMMENDATIONS
 Incorporating youth needs in climate change
policies;
 Designing and development of information
and educative materials tailored towards the
needs of the youth, on climate change;
 Designing and development of appropriate
climate change youth programmes;

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 RECOMMENDATIONS
• Designing and conducting comprehensive
youth trainings on climate change.
• Sensitizing youth on their role as catalysts for
dealing with climate change.

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 QUESTIONS?

• CONTACT DETAILS
• profs_iep@yahoo.co.uk
• Tel: 01 750 094
• Cell: 0999 855 955

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