Reporting climate change from here on

BY hoot| IN Media Practice | 21/12/2009

As the climate change debate ends  at the United Nations Climate Change conference at Copenhagen in Denmark, journalists in India try to grapple with diverse facets of climate change.  Darryl D?monte, Chairperson of the Forum of Environmental Journalists of India and the founder President of the International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ) talks about the pros and cons of climate change reporting in India in an interview to The Hoot.

Q. Do you feel that there is an urgent need for a new breed of ?climate change journalists?, specially in developing countries like India?

 A. Yes, there is because climate is a cross-cutting issue, concerning the environment, economy, energy, development and human rights, so no journalist can afford to stay unconnected. It is also one of the most political issues of our time, as President Barack Obama keeps asserting. It does require some degree of specialisation to ensure that we report and comment on the basis of facts, rather than hearsay.

Q. How can organizations like IFEJ help in this process? What are the objectives of IFEJ?

A. IFEJ was formed in Dresden, Germany in 1993 to help environmental journalists network globally. As we know, environmental issues are increasingly global, and one needs such a network not only to inform ourselves but to be aware of opportunities like training and writing projects.

Q. Do you feel that journalists who are new to ?climate change? are vulnerable to manipulations or misinformation by public relations experts? How can they overcome this?

A. They can inform themselves to a much greater extent than they now do. For instance, business journalists keep writing eulogistically about Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in India. But there are serious objections to this instrument which  is under the Kyoto Protocol. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in New Delhi calls it the "Corrupt & Dirty Mechanism" for this reason.

Q. What are the ground rules journalists must follow in reporting climate change? Is there something like a ?climate change? guide for journalists?

A. There are no specific ground rules, only the usual caveats. There are one or two handbooks but these are mainly for Northern journalists. The CSE has now brought out a good primer.

Q. What about accessing information at the local level?

A. That requires two legs, ears and a brain. I don?t think journalists travel sufficiently to learn about the impacts of climate change first-hand  in the rural areas.

Q. Do you think the issue of climate change has now moved beyond the science of global warming to a broader arena now?

A. As I said at the beginning, it encompasses a much broader spectrum of concerns. For instance, the struggle of the Ogoni tribespeople in northern Nigeria is treated as a law and order and human rights issue, with the devastation of the environment for prospecting oil almost relegated to the background.

Q. Do you think a basic knowledge of science is important in covering climate change?

A. It helps, but is by no means essential. After all, we have to convey facts to people who don?t have the scientific knowledge so one has to communicate this simply.

Q. Can you give some examples of outstanding coverage of climate change?

A. Elisabeth Rosenthal wrote a long story in the NYT after she visited poor villages in UP, India with Dr V. Ramanathan of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Ca at San Diego. She focused on the absymal use of smoky wood stoves, which is seldom touched upon.

Q. Are there any rules for verifying the credentials of environmental groups who disseminate information on climate change?

A. Yes, one has to guard against business groups, like those representing the oil industry or Arab oil exporters disseminating misinformation.

Q. What role can media play in creating a climate for change?

A.  Tremendous, because people in our country still rely on media as the primary source of information.