South Africans increasingly want action on climate change

Awareness of climate change among South Africans is rising.

According to the latest Afrobarometer survey, conducted ahead of the 2025 COP30, 61% of adult South Africans say they have heard of climate change — a marked jump from just 41% in 2018.

Among those who are climate-aware, the majority believe that climate change is already making life in South Africa worse.

Roughly eight in 10 (79 %) say it is damaging living conditions, with 44% saying it is making life “much worse”.

This evolving awareness also means South Africans are increasingly calling for urgent domestic and global action.

The survey didn’t just ask whether people have heard of climate change. It revealed whom South Africans hold responsible for causing it — and for solving it.

Among those who recognise climate change, a majority (53%) point to human activities as the primary cause. Another 16 % say it results from a mix of human activity and natural processes, while 27 % attribute it solely to natural processes.

When it comes to responsibility, opinions diverge. Half of respondents say that people, businesses and governments in other parts of the world bear most responsibility for climate change.

In contrast, 40 % cite South Africa’s own people, businesses and government as mainly responsible.

But when asked who must act, the message is clear and consistent.

Nearly two-thirds (66 %) of those aware of climate change demand that the South African government take immediate action to curb it — “even if it is expensive or leads to some job losses or costs the economy”.

Meanwhile, 77 % believe rich or developed nations should act too, even if that means bearing significant costs.

And a striking 82 % call for rich countries to provide climate aid to South Africa, to help the country adapt to climate impacts.

Everyday lives, shifting weather — and rising expectations

For many South Africans, climate change isn’t a remote, abstract threat, it is already affecting daily life.

The heightened concern is likely shaped by recent weather extremes and climate-related disasters, which have caused loss — of life, livelihoods, and stability.

In this context, the strong calls from ordinary citizens for climate action take on additional weight. The sense that “something must be done” is growing — not only from individuals but at a collective, societal level.

In particular, the survey shows widespread support for government intervention.

Whether that means investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, improving disaster preparedness, or pursuing renewable energy. A majority say they back such measures even if they imply higher costs today.

The timing of the Afrobarometer release is significant. For South Africa , the continent’s most industrially developed economy, this grounds global climate debates in the lived realities of citizens.

It also strengthens South Africa’s moral and political case at international climate talks.

Citizens want the government to act and want wealthy nations to shoulder their fair share of climate responsibility, especially in financing adaptation and mitigation.

Yet while awareness has clearly grown since 2018, there remain signs of fragmentation and challenge. Not everyone accepts human activity as the main cause.

And about four in 10 invite reflection on South Africa’s own responsibility. The path forward will require more than headlines and declarations.

For lasting change, public pressure needs translation into concrete policies.

That means investment in resilient infrastructure, support for communities vulnerable to climate impacts and a just transition that balances economic realities with ecological and social imperatives.

Similarly, international pressure and cooperation will matter, with a large majority calling for developed countries to provide climate aid, South Africa’s climate aspirations will depend heavily on global solidarity and justice.

Why this matters — and what to watch

The shifting attitudes captured by Afrobarometer reflect a deeper, growing recognition across South Africa: climate change is not a distant threat, it is already affecting lives, and citizens want action.

In the months ahead, the key question will be whether those voices are heard, and acted upon.

Will South Africa’s government align its policies with the priorities expressed by its citizens?

Will developed countries respond to calls for aid and support?

For South Africa, and for the global climate justice movement, the time for conversation is passing. The time for action is now.

• Dr Enock Sithole is the executive director of the Institute for Climate Change Communication.