Philippine EnviroNews selected for Media21 Asia journalism and climate change project for Paris climate talks

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The Philippine EnviroNews, a news website that provides a platform for environmental journalists in the Philippines to publish latest environmental and climate change-related issues, was chosen as one of the 9 media organizations to the Media21 Asia program aiming to develop editorial strategy incorporating climate change issues and to investigate local climate change initiatives with a view to highlighting a positive response to climate constraints.

As we move closer to the United nations-backed international negotiations on climate change in Paris in December this year, countries see it as a crucial event of hammering a new climate deal with the aim of limiting global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius.

Importantly, it is necessary to communicate and explain messages of climate solutions to the public in order to present them with the key issues and challenges, as well highlight the roles that media plays in the center of the climate debate.

Media21 Asia is a project launched and piloted by Canal France International (CFI), the cooperation agency of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development tasked with coordinating and implementing France’s aid for the development of media in the South. This project is in collaboration with the French embassies in the ASEAN countries and their audiovisual attaches, the Instituts francais in the countries involved, the French delegation to UNESCO and UNESCO.

Aside from the Philippine EnviroNews of the Philippine Network of Environmental Journalists (PNEJ), other media organizations selected for the Media21Asia program are Inquirer.ne and Rappler from the Philippines; Bangkok Post from Thailand; CTN from Phnom Penh in Cambodia; VnExpress and Vietnam Television (VTV) both from Vietnam; Balebengong.net from Bali and Suara.com from Jakarta, both from Indonesia.

All 9 media organizations selected will be funded for attending the training sessions in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Bangkok in Thailand and Paris in France during the climate talks.

Running parallel with this program is the training for African journalists called the Media21 Africa.

“The issues to be discussed at the Paris climate change negotiations are extremely important. The role of the media, I think is very important. You have a bigger responsibility to inform the public on climate issues and raise awareness on how to better address it. The conference happens in six months and so I hope you will do your part ,” said Jean-Pierre Galland from the French Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, who welcomed the participants during its first training session in Malysia.

Harry Surjadi, founder of the newly launched Society of Indonesian Science Journalists, told the participants to understand the evolving role of journalists in communicating climate change to the public.

“We really need to learn how to transfer scientific evidences for the public to understand the issues surrounding climate change. If we journalists have to explain in one sentence the core problem of climate change, I think it has something to do with our lifestyle—our lifestyle created climate change,” Surjandi explained.

French journalist Pierre Levevre and Pierre Laburthe CFI’s project manager for the Mediterranean Region and Asia facilitate and coordinate the Media21 Asia sessions.

“ Climate change effects are already visible, they are hitting the poor and vulnerable the hardest. It is important to strengthen the role of journalists in communicating climate change clearly as we can help our countries to plan, implement climate actions and empower people to effect positive change,” said Imelda Abano, editor of the Philippine EnviroNews and President of the Philippine Network of Environmental Journalists.

The Philippine EnviroNews team for the Media21 Asia project is composed of science and environmental journalists Anna Valmero and Shai Panela, who will utilize GeoJournalism data visualization, mapping and multimedia in producing their three-part story series on extreme weather events focusing on Typhoon Haiyan-hit areas in Tacloban City, the championing of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction management in Asia of the Albay Province, and the developmental and political momentum towards and beyond paris climate change negotiations.