Burning issues within the ignored voices: climate awareness in the Ghanaian marginalised communities

Purpose This study aims to assess how climate conversation is on the rise but appears silent within the urban margins. This study also examines climate change awareness among residents of selected disadvantaged urban communities in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in a qualitative approach, the study triangulated field observations, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions as its primary data sources. Findings The study found that young people, mostly females, engaged in casual self-employed ventures, are more exposed to climate-induced events than their male counterparts. It further revealed that severe rainfall, flooding and heat are the key climate events impacting the lives and livelihoods of residents in informal communities. Practical implications The findings suggest that climate change awareness in marginalised urban communities is uneven and largely experiential, shaped by gendered livelihoods and daily exposure to climate-induced risks. Awareness alone does not translate into resilience, highlighting a critical gap between knowledge and adaptive capacity in informal settlements. Originality/value This study provides pioneering insights into climate change discourse among the ignored voices on the urban margins, thereby expanding the frontiers of literature within the informal settlements in the Global South.