PACIFIC: Vital role of media highlighted at Nadi congress
(From PINA Nius Online)
Nadi, Fiji Islands (PINA Nius Online, 26 July 2000) - The media have =
a vital role to play in educating Pacific Islanders about the impact =
of climate change, a top international trainer said at Nadi.
The media director of the World Resources Institute, Adlai Amor, led =
a workshop on training journalists to report climate change issues. =
It came as the big international environmental journalism congress at =
the Fiji Mocambo Hotel continued.
Amor stressed that journalists must understand the complexities of =
climate change so they can in turn report it in a way the people can =
understand. He added that one of the major challenges for the =
environmental journalist is to simplify information without losing =
scientific veracity.
The joint congress of the Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental =
Journalists (APFEJ) and Commonwealth Environmental Journalists =
Association (CEJA) is hosted by the Pacific Islands News =
Association's PINA Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists.
Its theme is Climate Change: The Role of the Media, and Amor was one =
of several opening day speakers to stress the importance of the role =
of the media.
Amor is former chairperson of APFEJ and has been executive director =
of the Philippines Press Institute, and training director of the =
Press Foundation of Asia and the International Center for Journalists =
in Washington.
During the congress he is being awarded the International Green Pen =
Award for environmental journalism, in recognition of his work as =
both an environmental journalist and trainer.
Keynote speaker Dr Jenny Bryant-Tokalau, of the United Nations =
Development Programme, said key points for environmental journalists =
were:
o Writing and publishing or broadcasting a good report which is =
scientifically accurate;
o Keeping environment on the agenda.
Dr Mahendra Kumar, of the South Pacific Regional Environment =
Programme (SPREP), stressed to the journalists that climate change =
cannot be taken lightly.
He said: "For the small island countries climate change is a big =
issue. It is a matter of survival =8A and if one looks at all the =
evidence, be it anecdotal or scientific, the effects of climate =
change are already being felt."
He gave as an example: "The rising sea level has caused an intrusion =
of saltwater into what traditionally was agriculturally productive =
land. Not only have villagers had to change their diets but now have =
to grow crops that are able to grow under these conditions."
He gave as another example, how the increased intensity of waves, the =
frequency and intensity of cyclones, and the force exerted by moving =
water has caused increasing erosion of coastlines. - PINA Nius =
Online.
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