EQUIPPED. The Climate Change Commission, Deutsche Welle Akademie, and the German embassy conduct a five-day learning workshop on climate journalism at B Hotel in Quezon City from Sept. 9 to 13. The organizers underscored the importance of the media in climate change reporting. (Contributed photo)
MANILA – The Climate Change Commission on Thursday cited the importance of the media in the collective response to climate change, thus the need to further equip them with the right knowledge and tools about the issues surrounding it.
“Equipping our media with the right knowledge and tools is crucial in our collective response to climate change,” CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Secretary Robert E. A. Borje said in a statement following a media training workshop for Filipino journalists.
The training, conducted in Quezon City from Sept. 9 to 13, was conducted in partnership with the German Embassy and the Deutsche Welle Akademie (DW Akademie).
“By telling the right stories, backed by science and grounded in local realities, our journalists become powerful allies in raising awareness and inspiring action,” he added.
Borje said the partnership with DW Akademie and the German Embassy helps empower the media to help build resilience and encourage informed discussions and decision-making at all levels of society.
The CCC said climate change comes with technical complexities that need to be ‘laymanized’ or simplified into a form that can be understood by ordinary people.
Making the public understand the urgency of the problem would help raise public awareness and drive climate action.
CCC Commissioner Rachel Anne Herrera said the five-day learning workshop includes climate reporting techniques, storytelling strategies, and an in-depth discussion on the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) that provides a strategic framework to enhance the country's resilience to climate change impacts.
The NAP has identified eight key sectors as focal points for adaptation including Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Security; Water Resources; Health; Ecosystems and Biodiversity; Cultural Heritage, Population Displacement and Migration; Land Use and Human Settlements; Livelihoods and Industries; and Energy, Transport and Communication.
“These sectors address vulnerable areas, strengthen adaptive capacity, and promote strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change,” Herrera said.
Mathias Kruse, Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy, meanwhile, underscored the importance of media in addressing climate challenges.
“In the Philippines, being one of the countries most affected by disasters, journalists play a crucial role in informing the public about the causes of these events and the measures that can be taken to adapt and respond effectively," he said.
The DW Akademie, based in Bonn, Germany, is an international media development organization that provides journalism training and knowledge transfer. (PNA)
