The Media in Climate Sustainable Development

1. The Media in Climate Sustainable Development By Patrick Luganda-(Chairman) NETWORK OF CLIMATE JOURNALISTS IN THE GREATER HORN OF AFRICA (NECJOGHA)

2. Media Role We are building on the Traditional Pillars of the basic global media roles to: • Inform • Educate • Entertain The truth is the common denominator. And, the truth will set us free. Report responsibly

3. Role of the Media • Achieving successful education by the media requires to win: • Public Trust & • Public Confidence • This creates the Foundation for an effective Public Communication of Science and Technology

4. The Various Media • Print-Newspapers, Newsletters, magazines • Radio-Fm Stations, National Radio, Community Radio • Television-National, International Channels • Internet-World Wide Web • ICT- Information Communication Technology • Mass Meetings-Local Communities • Brochures-Easy to read and understand • Posters-Strategically located • Billboards-Communication linked to advertising • Theatre, plays and video shows

5. Situation Analysis • Climate reporting challenging • Climate information not reaching the intended recipients • The media has been responding to crisis • Lack critical mass climate journalists • more science/media interaction to build capacity for both sectors

6. Media in COF Process3 • Propose Africa Climate Media Initiative to consolidate fragmented media communication efforts currently supported by WMO, ACMAD, ICPAC, SADC-DMC, CLIMDEV, IRI, NOAA-OGP, IPFCC, International Climate centers, NHMS in RA1, NGOs etc. • Need to develop a comprehensive Africa media strategy document for the next 5-10 years

7. Climate Communication Concerns • Seasonal forecast dissemination • Climate vulnerability • Climate Change Communication • Climate Change Adaptation • Communication in local languages • Application of Climate Information • Disaster Risk Communication • Socio-economic benefits

8. Media Needs • Good stories with all the attributes built around the 5W and H • Powerful stories well researched and professionally assembled • Consumable material for our varied audiences • Creating an atmosphere of confidence, trust leading to acceptance for public benefit

9. Sustained Development Media enriches the knowledge to do things better. Disaster risk reduction Dissemination of climate information enables better agriculture practices and increases productivity Improves public health awareness and enables public expenditure savings Savings in construction, power industry generation, transport systems

10. Sustained Development • Educated public is a permanent achievement • Informed public able to make improved decision making at all levels • Dissemination of climate information leads to informed public debate • Better acceptance and appreciation of climate information for development

11. Sustained Development- • Appreciation of climate information leads to better utilization & adaptation strategies • Projected Climate change disruptions especially in fragile economies can be managed by societies learning basics of climate change through the media • Factoring climate change information healthy for sustained planning of economies, governments etc

12. Water Supply • A major concern for survival. • Water availability determines the food on the table, the health of the communities and survival of livestock • Water quality determines child mortality and this is very critical in Africa including urban areas • Water leads to conflicts and may lead to tribal deaths in pastoral communities like the Karamoja and Masaai clusters in East Africa

13. Water Supply2 • Availing information on water flow in river basins may prove essential for survival of thousands of water dependent people • Advance information needs to be made available to decision makers well in time • Enables planning for irrigation, hydro power generation, construction and infrastructure projects, production etc • Humanitarian relief planning

15. Climate Change-Urban Pressures • Rural-urban migration causing pressures on the facilities in the cities • Survival off the land more difficult with worsening climate change. Leading to migration to towns • City authorities hard pressed to cope even with things like garbage control • The media can play an important role in raising awareness and developing strategies to cope with the increased pressures.

16. Climate Change-Food Security • Africa to increase rapid food production, timely climate information needed • Leads to informed decision at productive windows of opportunity • Land selection, land use preparation

17. Climate Change-Food Security • Seed selection, preparation or acquisition • Input decisions including loans • Water for production application (irrigation)

18. Food Security • Using window of opportunity theory undertake: • Timely planting • Fertilizer application (for soil enrichment) • Timely weeding • Diseases and pest control management regimes • Timely Harvesting • Post harvest losses reduction/control • Storage for future utilization

19. Food Security and Marketing • Armed with Climate information important decisions can be made on amounts of food to store for food reserve and excess for sale. • Good food forecast estimates can be made to exploit market opportunities • Opportunities exist to turn challenges into wealth. We can turn Africa into a credible food basket using climate information together with market information analysis etc

20. The African Media Lessons

21. What Has Happened? • The media in Africa has started working closely with the Climate Science Community to spearheaded the timely dissemination of climate information • The critical mass of reporters still wanting • Specialized beats absent • The COP meetings at the global level, several regional meetings and Climate Outlook Forums are major interaction for the media and the scientists.

22. What…..? • GHA Media is advocating for a global drive for the media to play a more active role in climate information dissemination • When a handful of journalists in the region came together in The Network of Climate Journalists in the Greater Horn of Africa-NECJOGHA- it gave birth to “Climate Journalism”, “Climate Journalist.” Still developing

23. Impact Analysis So far • Has the media dissemination been effective? • Have the media stories influenced decisions at various levels? • Have we become better reporters? • Has the interaction created more informative media houses in the GHA? • How has this relationship enriched the quality of journalists in the GHA?

24. Impacts • From analyzing the past relationship we can map the way forward. • The media needs to look far beyond the present situation to be able to have a more meaningful, effective and beneficial Public Communication of Climate Science Information • Africa has been in the forefront of the RCOFs process and is likewise at the helm of building a vibrant and responsive Climate Media. It needs our concerted support

25. Way Forward-Proposals • Regular Climate Communication events • Impact Studies of media communication • Document impacts of climate variability and climate change in Africa • Media persons need to write international articles on climate change and adaptation to give the world the true African perspective