Institute of Development Studies

Lights, Camera, Action: the Media’s Role in the Climate Change Debate

10 September 2009 

Climate change is rising up the media agenda, both in developed and developing countries but especially in the developing countries which are already experiencing the impacts. But to what extent are broadcasters contributing to public awareness and action on climate change? And should this be their role?

'Broadcasting and Climate Change: a public service remit' was an international conference which brought together representatives from over 10,000 broadcasters from across the world. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) organised the event in order to build momentum towards the critical climate change negotiations at the Conference of Parties Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen this December. IDS' Marion Khamis attended the conference to represent AfricaAdapt, a network that promotes and supports knowledge sharing on climate change adaptation in Africa with a specific commitment to ensure this exchange engages and benefits vulnerable communities.

The conference was the first event of its kind and led to the creation of the Paris Declaration on Broadcast and Climate Change (pdf). The Declaration stresses the role of the media in fighting climate change and its impacts through a more active, strategic and concerted engagement in the climate change debate. The Declaration reflects consensus on the importance of media in stimulating policy debate and mobilising knowledge to empower societies to make informed decisions on options for mitigation and adaptation.

But to turn words into actions broadcasters and supporting organisations including the United Nations and international donors will have to act quickly to address some of the critical issues that have prevented the media from fulfilling this role so far.

Mind the information gap

Although scientific evidence proves both that climate change is taking place and that human action is responsible for the speed of the changes, there is still a perceived lack of information and data available to journalists - in particular local information that might help journalists make climate change more relevant for local audiences.

Several organisations are making efforts to promote closer collaboration between researchers and journalists and to make existing information available to journalists. In addition to training and building understanding amongst journalists and editors about climate change, these are also working with researchers to help them make scientific information easier to understand.

Many panellists referred to climate change as a difficult, complex and even ‘boring' topic for their audiences. Scientists who could play a communication role and help make the topic interesting and accessible are considered as important as building the literacy of journalists and editor to understand climate change, its causes and impacts.

Lost in translation?

Another huge challenge for broadcasters is the complex linguistic landscape of their own countries. Many broadcasters in developing countries want to report about climate change more accurately and about the links between events affecting their audiences and the global phenomena but they struggle to translate the information into words that are meaningful to their local audiences.

In Namibia for example, there are up to 30 different languages in which many terms commonly used to explain climate change impacts and causes do not even exist. This is the reality for many African broadcasters.

Making local voices heard

Only nine per cent of the journalists that attended the UN Climate Negotiations in Bali in 2007 were from developing countries and many Least Developed Countries were not even represented. A very small percentage of the media content on climate change is produced by Southern broadcasters and what exists often fails to include voices and perspectives of the local communities most affected by climate change. Lack of resources and equipment often prevent local journalists in developing countries to go and speak to these communities.

This contrasts starkly with the increasing importance attributed to the engagement of local communities in ensuring media content is meaningful to them and in ensuring local perspectives feed into global debates and international negotiations on a new climate change agreement.

The AfricaAdapt network gives high importance to building closer ties with the media. Local media will be key players in catalysing knowledge sharing and action on climate change in marginalised and excluded communities. Marion Khamis actively participated in the debate to raise these issues and emphasise the opportunities for integrating new media with traditional forms of news coverage to bring marginalised and excluded communities into the debate.

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