As the world's attention turns to this year's round of climate negotiations, Internews' Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and its partners will be bringing one of the largest cohorts of international journalists to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) summit, COP16, in Cancun this November, linking the high-level global summit to the real impacts of climate change felt by millions around the world.
To help journalists report on biodiversity issues, Internews, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have launched the Biodiversity Media Alliance. The new venture was announced in Nagoya, Japan, at the COP10 talks on the UN Convention on Biological Diversity on October 27. EJN's James Fahn sent A Postcard from Nagoya Species Talks, published on the New York Times web site.
EJN's expanded web site and activities centered on forestry reporting also bring quality information closer to those most affected by climate change.
Media Fellows Named for Cancun Fellowships
In its fourth year, the Climate Change Media Partnership will bring a substantial number of Fellows from developing countries to the COP16 negotiations. Meet the CCMP Fellows. These fellows are often the only journalists from their country present at the negotiations, simultaneously raising awareness of the issues at home and holding their home country delegates accountable at the summit.
Beverly Natividad, CCMP Fellow from the Philippines, said coverage of the negotiations is important to her community. "With very little participation and voice in the international scene, Filipinos in general never see much value in multilateral talks. But climate change issues are different. While a small country like the Philippines may have contributed so little to the problem, it is reeling from its effects and stands to suffer the most from apathy. I am hoping that seeing climate negotiations in an international arena will widen my own perspective on local issues, and improve my stories."
For the first time this year, EJN is also bringing journalists from the U.S. to report on the negotiations. Meet the Fellows.
Fellows benefit from a series of specially designed activities, including orientation, briefings, reporting field trips and a media clinic.
Author, reporter, and New York Times Dot Earth blogger Andrew Revkin will be among the trainers offering specialized training to the fellows.
"The challenges of covering climate science and policy can be extraordinary, particularly during heated, protracted treaty negotiations," says Revkin. "Having reported on climate science and treaty discussions since before there was an IPCC and UNFCCC, I'm thrilled to be able to share a few insights and tactics for avoiding pitfalls and maximizing clarity and credibility in coverage."
Fellows will blog and file reports from the conference for their home media outlets, on the CCMP site, the Earth Journalism Network site, and on partner news outlets, including the Columbia Journalism Review.
A New Home for Earth Journalism Online
EJN's web site is a clearinghouse of tools and resources for reporters covering the environment. Recently updated, the site features articles by EJN members on global environment topics, and provides links to resources including the Covering Climate Change free online course, developed by EJN in partnership with Poynter's News University.
Reporting on Forests, Land Conflicts, and Carbon Reduction
To strengthen forest and climate change news coverage in Asia, Internews is working with the Bangkok-based Regional Community Forestry Training Center (RECOFTC) and the USAID-supported Responsible Asia Forest and Trade (RAFT) program to train journalists and develop a toolkit on reporting on forestry issues.
Journalists and their coverage are critical to ensuring that local communities are properly involved in responses to climate change such as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), with the "plus" referring to efforts beyond preserving forests as carbon stocks and acknowledge the vital role of forests as reservoirs of biodiversity and sources of sustainable livelihoods for local people.
In a two-day training workshop in Bangkok in November to be organized by Internews, journalists from throughout Asia will expand their knowledge of REDD+ and produce stories on land issues for their local media outlets. In October, Internews organized a press briefing with RECOFTC to explain REDD+ to journalists and launch the media materials at the UNFCCC climate change negotiations in Tianjin, China.
Fact-based, local language reporting facilitates informed public debate on local forestry use, land conflicts and climate change issues, which loom large in Asia. Internews efforts to expand and improve this reporting have a particular emphasis on bringing public voice and participation to the most vulnerable citizens of communities affected by climate change.
For more information on reporting on forestry issues, see the REDD+ Media Toolkit, developed by the Climate Change Media Partnership.
Banner: Deforestation in Bhutan (World Bank)
Photo: A school girl wades across a river in Makad village, Mindanao, Philippines (Oxfam International)
We respect your desire for privacy and will not make your email address available to third parties.
© Copyright 2010 Internews Network | P.O. Box 4448, Arcata, CA 95518-4448 USA | Phone: +1 707-826-2030
