Vulnerable and under-represented populations—in particular women, youth, and indigenous communities—often face a serious information gap when it comes to solutions-based information on how to adapt to climate change’s impacts. Despite bearing the least responsibility for the conditions accelerating climate change, they are often impacted most and their voices and concerns are rarely heard, in either local or international media.
In the second year of the Human Dimensions of Climate Change project, Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is funding locally led initiatives which will help meet the growing demand for actionable knowledge on climate change adaptation.
The following projects are underway around the world:
Costa Rica/Latin America – Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) and LatinClima’s online training initiative aims to strengthen the capacities of at least 40 Latin American journalists and communicators to cover climate change issues, with emphasis on adaptation and solutions. It will promote the exchange and transfer of knowledge and experiences in adaptation between journalists and scientists, technicians, organizations and representatives of different sectors, and strengthen a network of communicators on climate change issues in Latin America.
Uganda – The Uganda Science Journalist Association (USJA) will address climate change adaptation for rural smallholder farmers in Uganda by training rural journalists to report effectively on the challenges, enabling them to communicate adaptation strategies, techniques and technologies to their communities.
Peru – Libelula Instituto Para El Cambio Global and ConexionCOP’s project will encourage coverage of climate change adaptation topics in the rural Peruvian regions. The project will train journalists working in provinces and generate stories and reports focused on local adaptation cases. It will profile successful adaptation initiatives involving vulnerable people in order to draw more attention to the issues faced by marginalized groups.
Haiti – The Association pour le Climat l’Environnement et le Développement Durable (ACLEDD) will contribute to wider circulation and broadcasting of information related to the environment and the effects of climate change in the media. The project aims to establish a network of environmental journalists and produce stories on the effects of climate change, climate adaptation, and the importance of the Paris Agreement for Haiti.
UK – China Dialogue Trust will improve the capacity of journalists to report on climate adaptation in China by offering fellowships, mentorship and building an active network of Chinese journalists covering these issues. The project will produce data-driven multimedia pieces about climate adaptation issues.
Cambodia – This project, implemented by Danmission, will advance objectives set by Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN) in Cambodia to meet their recognized needs towards climate change adaptation. It will provide real-time geo-referenced adaptation data through smartphones and the Prey Lang app, train grassroots research teams to handle data and prepare results in collaboration with citizen journalists, train citizen journalists in critical and independent journalism and provide them with a media network.
South Africa – Oxpeckers will begin Phase 2 of the ClimaTracker geojournalism project following the successful launch of the system at the Global Landscapes Forum in Paris. This phase of the project is focused on incorporating additional climate data based on feedback from South African policymakers and increasing usage of the platform by vulnerable communities through the support of journalists to engage with and report on adaptation and vulnerability.
Brazil – Memelab Produção Multimídia Ltda will create a system to collect and distribute news and data on the impacts of climate change in the Amazon basin (extreme floods and drought) and in cities and riparian communities in the Porto Velho and Manaus regions of Brazil. Early warning flood data for coastal areas will be published on a special section of InfoAmazonia.
Chile – AdaptChile will build capacity for coherent, consistent, and accessible communication of local climate change impacts and adaptation options. Municipal journalists and selected actors from local media outlets will be trained in the basic scientific, cultural, economic, and social issues surrounding climate change and in essentials for effective climate change communication for local communities, in order to build response capacity and promote local adaptive action.
South Asia – Global Call for Climate Action (GCCA) and Climate Tracker project aims to empower young journalists through a combination of mentorship and fellowships in South Asia. This project will build the Climate Tracker South Asia hub and make it a recognizable cohort of young environmental journalists, providing them with mentoring to implement their adaptation-based reporting initiatives.
The Human Dimensions of Climate Change project is funded by the Oak Foundation.