Climate change has become the dominant topic of discourse among scientists and other stakeholders in climate science in this century. Several researches have been conducted to assess its magnitude, causes, adverse impacts and possible solution to its challenges at various scales; where adaptation and mitigation were the fundamental recommendations. While public awareness and perception of the change, are the necessary pre-requisites to achieve true adaptation and mitigation, in the context of sustainable development. However, most of the negotiations were made at international level (making it Top-Down affair) with little regard to national dynamics of individual countries. The aim of this research was to assess the level of awareness and risk perception of climate change, among rural people in Funtua Local Government Area, Katsina State, Nigeria. A household questionnaire survey method was used in collecting the primary data from 384 randomly selected respondents, in which 97.7% response rate was recorded. Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage distribution, mean score and tables were used in analyzing and presenting the data. While Binomial Logistic Regression Analysis was used to ascertain the effect of some socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents, on their likelihood of been aware of climate change and perceiving it as a risk. The study revealed that climate change awareness was impressively high (78% of the respondents) were aware of it, though with poor knowledge of its causes among the respondents. While majority (73%) of the respondents agreed that climate change is a great risk to their individual lives and the society. The study further revealed that, sex, level of educational attainment, and main occupation of the respondents (p<.005) significantly predicts their level of climate change awareness. But, only level of education and main occupation (p<.005) significantly predicts risk perception of the adverse change among the respondents. The study then recommended that, the Governments should tailored their climate change policy and programmes, toward educating the rural people, so as to enhance their level of awareness of the scenario for better participation in adaptation and mitigation programmes; the Government (at both federal and state levels) through their relevant agencies, should double their effort in public awareness campaign, especially on causes and the risk associated with climate change to the rural people; that, extension agencies should double their efforts in public awareness campaign about climate change and adaptation techniques to especially those engaged in climate-sensitive activities; and that further study should be conducted to assess adaptive capacity and adaptation strategies adopted among the rural people.
Climate Change, Awareness, Risk perception, Predictors
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