Other experiences: There were some "Aha!" moments, like when Dr Morne du Plessis from the WWFSA said he believed Africa could bypass coal-fuelled electricity and jump directly to wind and solar energy provided that the Green Fund is established and properly administrated. There were also moments of frustration when I felt leaders needed to make important statements and they did not. Also when I realised how little the public and some journalists really understand about climate change issues. And it is all there - you just have to look it up!
My experience of the First Annual Climate Communications Day on Thursday 1 September at the Elangeni hotel in Durban:
There were very few South Africans represented.
9.15 The first plenary session:
The story is complex, not simplistic and linear and we have to express it like that.
For farmers climate change is now a real issue – not something out there and far away.
How and where is the science of climate change communicated to the media? At the moment is is insufficient and fragmented. There need to be more structured meetings.
How should scientists communicate? They should not dumb it down, not speak "nerd language." Journalists should get into the nitty-gritty even if it is difficult to communicate the nuances.
Haili Cao, (Caixin Media, China): Know your audience – are they educated? First educate the journalists before we educate the public.
Is it urgent or non-urgent? If it comes across as non-urgent it means we reporters have not done our job.
Joydeep Gupta (IANS/Third Pole Project, India): You don’t have to tell a small holder farmer about climate change – they don’t call it that but they feel its effects.
And the average urban person – what is happening – are their houses on fire? There are already dramatic stories. Focus on the humanitarian view of climate change.
The jargon jungle of climate change is one of the big problem issues. Know your subject well enough to get over that.
What is the place of social movements? Should journalists link up with them? Joydeep feels we should draw the line between journalists and NGO’s. When we start looking like activists, we lose credibility, there is a conflict of interest. Social movements have to make the connections and transform it to a political movement.
From the audience: A local rabbi from Durban does not believe journalists should stay emotionally uninvolved. How can you be passive -if your house is on fire?
Climate change could be presented as health, gender, or fisherman stories. People want to listen to positive adaptation stories, otherwise we might be left with Climate Change Fatigue syndrome.
Question from Lagos: Should we not keep our eyes on the big picture? People want to know what decision makers are doing – there should be a balance in what we communicate. We have to report on the hard stuff too, not only the small stories, not always in an entertaining, relaxed mood. Our governments keep stalling and postponing, we have to wake them up.
Andy Mason from Oneworld: Today is World Aids Day. Denialism was also an issue in SA with Aids. Metaphors, symbols etc. were crude and lacking in sophistication. Climate Change communication is also crude at the moment.
What about denialists? Some editors feel there should be a "balanced" view in their articles. Things have changed in the last 9 years. Now, 97% of scientists believe in human induced climate change. Should we also entertain the flat earth- view to be seen as "balanced"?
Second Plenary session 11.15am:
Kelly Rigg ( Global Campaign for Climate Action/TckTckTck): Who do politicians listen to? Expand the number of people who talk about climate change – we have to move beyond the converted.
The fossil fuel industry pays for denialists. They are very smart about how they do it – 450 links to every story, so their stories rise up in the search engine. They give politicians the cover not to do the right thing.
We can’t fund like fossil fuel, but we have the majority of people on our side. Get info out to union leaders and organizations and influencers. That will also change the media discourse. (Agenda setting)
Educator from the audience: The way in which we will drop the bomb is by NOT involving children and communicate to them. Today they live in our world, tomorrow we will live in theirs.
Indi Mclymont-Lafayette (Panos Caribbean, Jamaica) Music that captures the messages work very well in Caribbean.
Slacktivism – social media like facebook an twitter – just click on a link then you do not have to do much else?
Kelly Rigg: By having people follow you on twitter, who are not really converted in temrs of climate change, could open up their minds (Leonardo de Caprio follows TckTckTck and now many of his fans follow them as well). Social Media networks spread the message but is not the real replacement for activism. (Chris Librie from Hewlett Packard says without IT there would be no social media.)
From the audience a journalist from Malawi: Terminology is one of the biggest barriers to climate change communications in African languages.
Journalists complain of problems with editors - they often ask, "so where is the story?" It is not riveting enough. Indi responds: Journalists should form strategi alliences to address editor problems
Taiwan University professor from audience: – How do we train students to become independent reporters? She is also from Peoples News Platform. Wambi Michael (Uganda Radio Network, Uganda) responds: University students of environmental disciplines should go and work at radio stations etc to see how to communicate information. There should be more on-sight training of journalists. In Uganda people have been told to plant trees, so they planted Eucaliptes. Now they are facing water shortages.
Chris Librie from Hewlett Packard reminds us that IT is only responsible for 2% of the world's CO2.
13.45 First Breakout session. We could go to one of the following sessions: "Communicating climate change with Games", "Climate Movies" or "What's God got to do with it?" I chose the movies.
We watched 6 trailers, then the panel discussed them.
An Inconvenient Truth:
The movie made 50 million dollars, 6th highest of all documentaries. It made complicated issues clear, had powerful visuals and solutions.
Comment from audience: The movie was shown in small villages in my country, Sierra Leone and translated. It worked well, even children recognized the signs like water shortages.
Jacqueline Frank (Regional Project Coodinator, Media Capacity Building of Africa Adaptation Programme): Ask yourself, what is your goal an who is your audience? What do you want them to take away? Fear and concern, just realizing that there is a problem? People now want to see solution, not fear-mongering movies.
The Day after Tomorrow:
It made 540 million. Is it good or bad for us that so many people saw it? There is a similarity with holocaust films. But it could be an entry point. It could be useful supplemented by other information. It tells people, "Nothing, not even the American army can save the day if it is too late." We need the media to make the link between this movie and climate change on behalf of the people.
Other trailers: Everything's Cool, Sizzle,The 11th Hour, The Age of Stupid, Fahrenheit, Addicted to Oil.
I was disappointed that The Fourth Revolution was not discussed as it is mostly a documentary of positive solutions
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Albert Einstein: Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act.
14.40: Second Breakout Session:
Choices: "The Dragon's Breath: From the front lines of climate change to the front page", "Climate Change Skeptics in the Global South?" and "Connecting IT and Climate Communications". I chose the first topic.
Three researchers form the IDRC-DFID Climate Change Adaptation in Africa programme attempt to convince three "dragons" (media editors) that their stories are worth covering. The editors (Joydeep Gupta,
Tim Williams and Laurie Goering then show what the media really want in terms of news, stories and human interest. For those pitching their stories, ingenuity and inspriation will be critical. The researchers were: Dr Hussein Elmzouri, National Institute of Agricultural Research Morocco on facing water scarcity in Morocco’s plains and mountains, Dr Maria Onyango on harnessing indigenous climate forecasting knowledge and Dr Paul Mapfumo of University of Zimbabwe on protecting soil to increase smallholder resilience. These scientists had 3 minutes to pitch their stories to the editors.
Tim Williams and Laurie Goering then show what the media really want in terms of news, stories and human interest. For those pitching their stories, ingenuity and inspriation will be critical. The researchers were: Dr Hussein Elmzouri, National Institute of Agricultural Research Morocco on facing water scarcity in Morocco’s plains and mountains, Dr Maria Onyango on harnessing indigenous climate forecasting knowledge and Dr Paul Mapfumo of University of Zimbabwe on protecting soil to increase smallholder resilience. These scientists had 3 minutes to pitch their stories to the editors.
Story one:
Editors: What is the story? I need a conflict - it works in Hollywood, it works in the newspapers. Is this relevant for the UK? Do you think this is good news?
Story two: Harnessing indigenous climate forecasting knowledge – Dr Maria Onyango senior lecturer Bundo University Kenia.
Rural community knowledge base 90% of their planting skills on indigenous knowledge. Local predictors got together with modern scientists and they bonded. There were a lot of similar perceptions between the two groups. Their communications improved livelihoods, because local communicators could communicate better with the people. They helped to translate information into the local language and also got the government involved.
Editors: Medium is very important – are you looking at radio or print? Did you use TV cameras, audio recorders, notes, photos, videos? Who long did this take?
Forecastings are usually just before planting. Integrating knowledge is very valuable, it is better accepted by community rather than outsiders who are coming to intrude.
Editors: We want more evidence - what was the hard evidence?
Story three: Protecting soil to increase smallholder resilience. Prof Paul Mamfumo Univ Zimbabwe.
We worked with local leadership and with seed people. We term them the learning centres, we put knowledge in their hands. Only after working together, we could see changes. They put their knowledge into our minds, we put our knowledge into their hands. Soil is a good entry point for climate change.
Editors: Good start, but where is the middle and end of the story?
Eg Start: Lack of food self-sufficiency. Middle: Bring together and exchange ideas. End: Enable community to generate good food income.
How many people benefited? It is not in context – how big is the problem?
Dr Mapfumo: The mealies used to be thesize of my pen.
Editors: – good image, people could understand it well. The story should be macro, then a little bit micro to put it into context and then get to the closing point. There is a big difference from how scientists, social media and mass media see events.
UCT Climate Change talks organized by the Department of Film and Media Theory 30 November 2011
Vivienne Walsh: Residential and commercial consumption of energy is second only to that of transport. High income groups are highest in energy consumption, although they are the smallest group. My thoughts on this: Well, then we need the electric Joule, affordable to those higher income groups who are highest in energy consumption - since transport is the biggest culprit. Surely they will mention this...
Energy Security main goal.
Criteria1:
Resilient city , poverty alleviation, economic development, low carbon.
Criteria2:
Energy efficiency: 10% energy consumption reduction target by 2012
Renewable energy projects – 10% RE contribution by 2020
Water from mountain- harness energy.
Retrofits by city council.
Sustainable transport: Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT)
Climate Adaptation Plan of Action.
Sea level rise analysis
Coastal protection zone.
Building resilience in low-income communities: ceilings, solar water heaters, access to climate finance, develop green economy – strategic partnerships.
Education and awareness, resource efficiency and sustainability campaigns
Discussion: do you let media get involved? Media releases. Community papers highest info source for CT
Methodology of carbon footprint calculation NB – not always best practice used.
Energy Resource Management Department: Climate Adaptation plan of action.
Hilton Trollip- Optimal Energy Future (Renewables) – Energy and climate change unit of Environmental Resoucre Management Department
We rely on journalists to get the numbers out. Audience profiling: how do you assess the numbers?
This (UCT) Audience : A third did 12th year maths. What about people who know less than you?
Scientists and journalists should spend more time together to make climate change understandable.
1% of scientists with huge amounts of money behind them try to claim that climate change is not important.
CT 6,4 tons per capit. We can flatten out carbon emissions with no extra cost.
Inefficient economy, fewer jobs, vulnerability to carbon constraint, susceptible to oil price rise – end of cheap oil.
Internationsl energy agency: middle scenario fuel prices could quadruple
Can we meet by science required national target by 2030? If electricity efficiency, transport efficiency and renewable electricity supply. People are uneducated because a lot of money is spent on advertising business as usual.
CT Adaptation measures:
Water.
Retrofit existing stormwater
Insulating houses – ceilings retrofit
Sea level rise and CPZ. Revised floodlins under climate cange scenarios.
Sustainable urban drainage system (DUDS)
25 year bulk water planning horizon incl climate projections.
Ecosytems mapping and quantifying services – look at green infrastructure
Monitor air quality – research
Ground water monitoring
Rainfall monitoring (change in patterns)
Map all sector’s vulnerability – spatial
Risk reduction programme
Have to take skeptics and activists to go together in greening Cape Town. Cannot go too fast, take everyone with. The activists have their voices in the social media. Community newspapers are most useful in climate change info.
Michelle Preen:
Head : Environmental Capacity Building, training and education.
Climate Smart Cape Town Campaign 30 partners.
Won best stand – Climate Smart Cape Town. Pavillion is off the grid – powered by solar and wind, rainwater collections.
I found it interesting that no mention was made of Cape Town's emission free car, the Joule. Perhaps because they could not sponsor the Cape Town Climate Smart programme? Pity - the foreigners attending this conference would have found it fascinating. Fortunately SA's smart people got it together and just before the end of COP17, SA's president Zuma learnt about the Jewel in his country and so did Pravin Gordhan (Cheryl Carrolus ordered him to have a ride in the Joule) as well as Science and Technology minister Naledi Pandor. No thanks to Climate Smart Cape Town.
So these were my highs and lows of COP17 SA2011.
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