“The sun has become intolerably hot”: local views and memories about Lesotho’s weather – present and past

Abstract

Globally, mountain environments have undergone substantial climate warming and associated environmental and socio-economic changes. Although past studies have alluded to recent climate change in the Lesotho Highlands, these have largely lacked scientifically based evidence for assessing actual climate change. This paper thus aims to establish (a) instrumental-based changes in rainfall and temperature; and (b) people’s views about the contemporary and past weather, and memories of past extreme weather events, in Lesotho. This was achieved through undertaking 60 interviews across 42 villages in 2008, and then comparing outcomes with (a) instrumental climate records from Mohale’s Hoek and Mokhotlong; and (b) documentary-based evidence of past severe snowfalls. While there is good agreement between people’s views and instrumental records for recent trends in summer temperature and spring rainfall, there is disagreement in winter temperature and annual rainfall trends. Interviewees demonstrate remarkably accurate remembrance of prominent snowfalls since 1930. A key outcome is that the “lived climatic experience” and thus views about “the weather” are determined not only by actual climate patterns and trends in Lesotho, but also by personal frames of reference, prominent weather-related experiences and changes in personal circumstances that impact on weather-related coping capacity and comfort levels.