Knowledge, Attitude and Practice based Study on Extreme Weather Events in Pakistan

Abstract

Climate change is the global threat, and Pakistan is the eighth most affected country from the climate change. The study analyzes the status of knowledge, attitude and practice about extreme weather events among general population in Pakistan. The data is collected using cross sectional design from participants (n=266), including female (n=142) and male (n=124). Descriptive statistics are presented, and the findings reveal that 88% of participants had good knowledge about extreme weather events, its threats and potential impacts. More than 50% of participants depicted good attitude to learn about extreme weather events and 93% participants engaged in good practices to mitigate the threats of extreme weather events. The Chi-Square test shows that gender and area are significantly associated with extreme weather events on the basis of knowledge, attitude and practice. The study suggests that state agencies and other non-governmental bodies should introduce environmental interventions and pragmatic measures to raise awareness among participants to cope with extreme weather events.