"In May and June 2009, the BBC World Service Trust’s Research and Learning Group, on behalf of the British Council, conducted research in ethiopia to gauge public understanding of climate change. the research consisted of 16 focus-group discussions with Ethiopian citizens, as well as 18 in-depth interviews with opinion leaders from government, religious institutions, the private sector, the media and civil society. the overall objective was to find out what people think about climate change, and to determine how to tailor communication and media strategies to support ethiopia’s response to climate change.<NZ>Key findings<NZ>Drought and extreme weather are causing frustration across Ethiopia. Farmers and pastoralists in particular say they are struggling to survive.<NZ>Ethiopians have noticed changes in their weather. they say that it is getting hotter and the rains no longer fall as they used to. Most, however, have no understanding of the relationship between these issues and climate change.<NZ>Most Ethiopians are not aware of the concepts of climate change and global warming. they believe the term ‘climate change’ refers to changes in the weather or seasons, and most have no knowledge of its global context or the greenhouse effect.<NZ>Ethiopians draw heavily on their beliefs and existing knowledge to explain changes in the weather and their environment. Many, particularly in rural areas, believe that god is ultimately responsible for the changes they’ve experienced, and feel that there is little they can do to respond.<NZ>Others point to local deforestation and local pollution as the primary causes of the drought and environmental degradation they have experienced. Yet most ethiopians do not understand the role that trees or pollution play in the global climate system." (Executive summary)