For most people around the world, weather forecasts are easily available, understandable, and – most of the time – accurate. We take for granted that we can access weather information to help us decide what to wear, whether to go on a hike or if we should carry an umbrella.
But in Eastern Africa, where climate change is contributing to rapidly changing and more extreme weather patterns, harsh drought and devastating flooding are becoming more regular occurrences. Herders and farmers may have no access to smartphones or sometimes radios; if they do, how weather information is presented is too technical to have much relevance in their daily lives.
Understanding the changing weather is a matter of a life or death – for herders who may be trekking hundreds of kilometres in search of scarce water and pasture for their animals, and for farmers who can no longer easily predict the coming of rains.
The Living Climate Change Africa podcast speaks with everyday people across East Africa, to find out how they are living with climate change; how they understand weather patterns and predict what is ahead; if and how they are adapting; and what they expect from their policymakers.
Living Climate Change Africa launched in November 2022 during COP27. Read our press release.
Listen with Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, Acast and YouTube. Or you can find the five episodes below.
Living Climate Change Africa is a production of BBC Media Action in collaboration with ICPAC and with financial support from the European Union. It was produced for BBC Media Action by Julian Macharia, and presented by Diana Njeru.
Living Climate Change Africa podcast
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Episode 1: Forecasting
In this episode, presenter Diana Njeru takes us on a journey to meet pastoralist herders and farmers, as well as representatives from Kenya’s Meteorological Office. She examines traditional beliefs around weather and climate, how these communities are experiencing the impacts of climate change, and how scientists are beginning to work alongside traditional forecasters to build trust and understanding. -
Episode 2: Adaptation
Human beings are some of the most adaptable species on Earth – but we all face a new challenge: adapting to and surviving extreme weather caused by climate change. And this is a huge challenge for poor communities who are most at risk. This episode, presented by Diana Njeru, explores how people in East Africa are trying to adapt to the rapidly changing climate, and how they are coping when they cannot. (Content warning: this episode contains mentions of suicide). -
Episode 3: Decision-making
How do you make critical decisions about your livelihood without trusted information? The increasingly unpredictable climate in East Africa is making it harder to make decisions – about whether to follow age-old migration patterns, about which crops to grow, and about when to go out on the water to fish. We explore how people in East Africa are making these tough decisions, and what that means for their livelihoods and their traditions. -
Episode 4: Projections
What lies ahead for our global climate? The projections are bleak: wet areas will get wetter, dry areas drier. And countries across Africa will experience both extreme drought, and devastating flooding. In this episode, our host Diana Njeru explores what the future holds for communities across East Africa, whose culture, traditions and livelihoods rely on our Earth. -
Episode 5: Policy
The Paris agreement, the Montreal protocol, the Stockholm convention, the Bonn agreement… there are countless agreements aimed at developing policies and getting countries to take action on climate change. But climate scientists warn there is a gap between policy and action. In this episode, our host Diana Njeru explores what people in East Africa want from global leaders and policymakers, as they experience the extreme weather patterns caused by climate change.
Behind the scenes
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Living climate change: Behind the scenes in Kenya
Patrick Mulehi, BBC Media Action mentor, shares his experience of talking to those living through extreme drought in rural Kenya. -
Film: Empowering farmers to take action in Ethiopia
“Our house was at risk of being swept by the floods,” farmers Heriya and Omar describe five years of irregular and destructive weather. Find out what they did in this film. -
Weather Wise: mentoring journalists in East Africa
Paul Lubwama from Bukede FM in Uganda decribes how he is better communicating climate change content to his audience. -
Film: Behind the scenes of Living Climate Change Africa
Hear more from the people featured in our podcasts - in a short film screened at COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh. -
About the podcast
Listen to episodes and find out more about the project here.
