53 ISSN 1712-8056[Print] ISSN 1923-6697[Online] www.cscanada.net www.cscanada.org Canadian Social Science Vol. 11, No. 7, 2015, pp. 53-64 DOI: 10.3968/7273 Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture Climate Change and Beliefs in Cameroon: A Qualitative Study Among Farmers in the Equatorial and Sudano-Sahelian Zones Sandrine Gaymard [a],* ; Nicole Kay [b] ; Jean-Claude Etoundi [b] [a] LUNAM Université, University of Angers, Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (LPPL), France. [b] University of Angers. Laboratoire de Psychologie des Pays de la Loire (LPPL EA 4638), France. * Corresponding author. Received 30 June 2015; accepted 13 July 2015 Published online 26 July 2015 Abstract The question of climate change is a topical issue as is shown by the numerous publications on the subject during the last few years. However few publications lay emphasis on populations considered to be particularly exposed to the problem of climate change (by location or by activity) and on the impact of religion on these beliefs. In this study, two groups of Cameroon farmers working in two distinctive zones: Equatorial and Sudano-Sahelian were interviewed about their social representation of climate change. Results with the free association method highlight two preoccupying social representations. The question of distance from the object is discussed in relation to studies carried out among wider publics. In addition, this study shows that religion can also play an important part in the construction of knowledge of climate change. Key words: Climate change; Risks; Social representations; Religion; Free associations; Cameroon farmers Gaymard, S., Kay, N., & Etoundi, J. C. (2015). Climate Change and Beliefs in Cameroon: A Qualitative Study Among Farmers in the Equatorial and Sudano-Sahelian Zones. Canadian Social Science, 11 (7), 53-64. Available from: http://www.cscanada.net/index.php/css/article/view/7273 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/7273 INTRODUCTION The planet’s climate is experiencing changes over time; we talk about climate change, which is a term used to refer to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or to human activity 1 . Climate change is due to global warming induced by anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 1990). On a global scale, climate change has many impacts such as the melting of glaciers, ice cap decrease, the intensification of extreme weather events (floods, droughts, famines, heat waves, increased frequency of cyclones, bush fires and other fires), the destabilization of forests, agricultural difficulties, threats to water resources, loss of biodiversity, the spread of tropical diseases, etc. According to numerous studies climate change is already underway and the climate system will probably undergo quite some changes (CICERO, 2000). An increase in average global temperature of about 1.3 to 5℃. in the next decades is predicted; a rising sea level of the order of 15 to 95 cm by 2100 2 and some extreme events will increase in frequency and intensity as a result of a change in natural variability (Mc Carthy et al., 2001). Thus, the second part of the IPCC fifth Assessment Report 2014 notes and confirms with greater certainty that the impacts of climate change are already substantial and widespread, on both continents and oceans, and they lead to a disruption of ecosystems and biodiversity, hydraulic systems, agricultural and food production, generating human health problems and reinforcing social inequalities (especially in less developed areas). Climate change is therefore one of the biggest current concerns, to the extent that it is considered one of the primary concerns of humanity in the 21 st century (Tingem et al., 2008). In Africa, this concern is all the more important as the continent is one of the most vulnerable regions in the 1 Definition given by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1990. 2 http://www.braintrust.hautetfort.com/archive/2009/05/index.html