Journalists tasked to explain climate change issues to the citizenry

Journalists have been urged to breakdown the subject of climate change in order to make it meaningful for the citizenry to relate to its impact on national development.

Dr Delali Dovie, a Researcher at the Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana (UG), gave the advice when he spoke on a topic: ‘Understanding Climate Change” at a workshop for 20 journalists, at Akosombo in the Eastern Region.

He said 20 years from now, the effects of climate change would be intense if measures were not taken to reduce the impact on global warming

The workshop was organised by the African Adaptation Project (AAP) as part of its media capacity development programme funded by Japan and the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation and the World Food Programme.

The AAP seeks to enhance journalists’ capacity to report on and raise public understanding of the need to protect the sustainability of Africa’s development, by mainstreaming climate resilience into national development strategies.

Dr Dovie, said climate change issues cut across all aspects of human endeavour and therefore needed to be understood by all.

He indicated that, human activities such as cutting of trees, sand winning and other destruction of nature had contributed immensely to changes in the climate, and journalists must create the awareness for the public to appreciate the issues.

Dr Mrs Elaine Tweneboah Lawson, Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies also of the UG who spoke on “Climate Change and Gender “, noted that women were more vulnerable to the effects of climate change because as majority of the world’s poor, they were also more dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods.

She indicated that in applying a gender perspective, attention needed to be given to what had been called, “women’s special conditions” as mechanisms which kept women at disadvantageous positions than men.

Mrs Ama Kudom-Agyemang, a journalist and team leader for cluster D of AAP countries, said climate change issues permeated all stories such as political, health, economic, crime and therefore must not be relegated to the background.

“Climate Change encompasses the economy, health, national security, agriculture, food security, land use, natural resources exploitation, forest energy, poverty and sustainable livelihoods, coastal erosion, finances, gender adaptation and responses” she pointed.**