The morning sessions at the Africa Editors Climate Forum kicked off with a bang, as some heavy topics were thrown out for discussion.
The first speaker, Rosalia Omungo, CEO of the Kenya Editors Guild said that “media editors have a duty to articulate well what reporters attempt to convey in their stories. This will allow the media to properly capture African climate narratives.
Omungo also implored newsrooms across Africa to throw climate and sustainability coverage into the mainstream.
Editors and journalists concurred with Omungo that reporting on “climate change is a specialised field that is becoming more and more important” and that newsrooms should be dedicating more resources into covering these issues.
Fatuma Hussein, programme manager at Power Shift Africa, a Pan-African NGO dedicated to providing solutions-based environmental policy ideas, said that “collaboration between newsrooms and climate science is critical and should be an ongoing engagement.”
Delegates agreed that there are countless vested interests in the climate conversation, from groups seeking profits to those seeking to conserve the environment, it is therefore extremely important that stories are told in an African context.
Ambassador Ali Mohamed, special envoy for Climate Change For Kenya, questioned the Forum on how can Africa enhance the message about climate change which the continent has been sending out, imploring that “Africa is a victim, Africa needs support, now!”
The ambassador referred to the evidence that Africa’s historic climate emissions amounted to a mere 0.5% of total global emissions yet the continent is bearing the brunt of climate change impacts.
“We are pushing for the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund, and as we continue to push for what is legitimately ours, we need to take a hard look at the resources we have on our doorstep. Africa has critical mineral potential, land size and immense potential for renewable energy,” the ambassador said.
Environment