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Majority of Jordanians believe in climate change threat — study

By Hana Namrouqa - Feb 20,2014 - Last updated at Feb 20,2014

AMMAN — The majority of Jordanians believe that the climate has “really changed” over the past years and that the change is “negative and annoying”, according to a new survey released on Thursday.

The opinion survey on public knowledge and perception of climate change in the Kingdom indicated that 78 per cent of Jordanians believe that the climate has really changed during the past few years and around 67.1 per cent said that this change was negative.

As 38 per cent of the surveyed population stated that they have a “very good” knowledge of climate change issues; 72.9 per cent said climate change is a man-made phenomenon caused by industries, transportation and energy activities.

In addition, 52 per cent considered that climate change is serious and should be addressed, while around 75 per cent of the study sample stated that the impacts of climate change at the national level will be mainly manifested in the form of rise in temperature.

Some 65 per cent stated that climate change will negatively affect amounts of precipitation, while 40.9 per cent said that it will lead to an increase in energy consumption and 64.4 per cent said the Kingdom has a minor contribution to climate change compared to other industrialised countries.

The survey was conducted by the Royal Scientific Society within the context of Jordan’s Third National Communication Report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 

The poll was carried out in Amman, Irbid, Zarqa and Karak and covered university students, researchers, academics, public and private sector employees, journalists and media personnel, and representatives of NGOs.

No further details were provided on the polled sample.

The study measured Jordanians’ perceptions of the most important adaptation options and priorities. 

The results showed that 69 per cent believe that water conservation is a major adaptation measure; 60 per cent highlighted that the use of drought tolerant crops with minimal water requirement is important; and 50 per cent stated that conservation of biodiversity and natural ecosystems is also a priority.

On the best communication tools that can be used to increase public awareness according to the surveyed population, TV and satellite channels was the first option (78.5 per cent), followed by social media networks Facebook and Twitter (66.3 per cent), while the least popular option  was workshops and seminars (26 per cent).

The survey indicated that half of Jordanians showed a positive attitude towards being involved in action against climate change and that 53 per cent of them are willing to pay more for climate-friendly products and services.

Environment Minister Taher Shakhashir said at the launch of the survey that it aims at assessing the level of public awareness about climate change in Jordan and identifying the gaps in knowledge in order to prepare a comprehensive outreach plan to raise awareness.

“This study will form the reference for outreach and awareness programmes on climate change issues in the coming years,” Shakhshir said.

UNDP Country Director Zena Ali Ahmad said the UNDP will continue to provide technical and financial support for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation programmes, and capacity building, based on the priorities included in the National Policy on Climate Change that was prepared by the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the UNDP.

She emphasised the importance of translating these studies into a number of awareness activities that target all popular and official levels, and stressed that the UNDP will take these results into account in the design of new projects on climate change.

Climate change scenarios indicate that Jordan and the Middle East could suffer from reduced agricultural productivity and water availability, among other negative impacts, according to the 2013-2020 Jordan Climate Change Policy.

The report said Jordan faces serious potential impacts on its natural ecosystems, river basins, watersheds and biodiversity, then cascading to impacts on food productivity, water resources, human health, public infrastructure and human settlements.

The report indicated that climate change projections suggest a 1-4°C increase in temperatures and a 15-60 per cent decrease in precipitation.

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