Nairobi — About seven in ten Kenyans are willing to invest in electric vehicles (EVs) to combat the effects of climate change, a new report reveals.
A survey, which involved 30,000 respondents in 39 markets globally and was conducted by Epson, shows that 72.1 percent of them are likely to embrace EVs.
Prolonged droughts and intermittent rainfalls have become frequent occurrences in Kenya, affecting millions of farmers and patrolists.
For example, the State Department of Livestock confirmed that Kenya had lost 2.5 million head of livestock, with the remaining 10 million in the drylands going without pasture and water.
Researchers have linked climate change to the severity and frequency of natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and locust invasions.
“In this context, it’s not surprising that nearly 70.7% of Kenyan respondents in the Epson Climate Reality Barometer consider climate change the most pressing global issue, a significantly higher percentage than in other surveyed markets,” reads the report in part.
Kenyans who are optimistic that climate disasters can be reversed fell from 76 percent last year to 75.2 percent this year.
“This sense of optimism is supported by Kenyans’ feelings on climate change looking ahead to the next 12 months, with 47.3% choosing ‘Hopeful’ (the #1 response). In fact, this is reflected across their top three choices, with the next most popular choice being ‘Optimistic’ at 42.5%, and the third being ‘Positive’ at 36.3%,” the Barometer report stated.