Even though African countries are only responsible for less than 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the continent suffers disproportionately from the consequences of climate change. Examples of environmental degradation include deadly heatwaves and heavy rains which can ultimately result in food shortages, the loss of inhabitable grounds, or the enforcement of ongoing conflicts in the region. Meanwhile, the Global Norths accounts for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions (92%), resulting in an “emission debt” to other countries. While the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) calls for “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities”, it remains a question whether citizens of the most affected regions also blame the Global North for the consequences of environmental degradation. In this paper, I investigate under which circumstances citizens
in Sub-Saharan Africa perceive actors of industrialized nations as accountable for grievances related to climate change. I argue that climate change literacy, education, and urbanization but also context-based factors such as state capacity to mitigate climate change, the magnitude of environmental degradation, and the presence of environmental protest shape the perception of individuals. Using fine-grained geo-coded data from the Afrobarometer and novel data on environmental protest, I explore in how far individuals attribute responsibility for environmental degradation to actors of the Global North.