ISLAMABAD: The experts at a climate change journalists’ training workshop on Sunday urged the media fraternity, the government, and civil society organisations to come out of their comfort and learning zones for addressing climate change as it could affect the country’s exports in the coming decade.
The day-long media training workshop organized by Resilient Future International (RFI) and Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO) intended to have a brainstorming and interactive session with active environmental journalists and correspondents followed by group presentations for better understanding of crosscutting multifaceted issues impacting various social strata of the country due to environmental degradation.
In her welcome remarks, the SPO Head of Programs Shazia Shaheen said that Pakistan’s contribution to global carbon emissions was very low but on the same hand, it was placed 8th most impacted country affected due to environmental degradation and natural disasters.
The country, she said is facing an extreme level of natural calamities and media’s role was imperative to project the risk of disasters. Shaheen added the SPO was also working on diverse areas of health, human rights, capacity building of the youth and farmers and also addressing climate change issues.
She underlined the need to develop a nexus of all stakeholders for a better and well coordinated effort to circumvent worst impacts of natural disasters and climate change. CEO, RFI, Aftab Alam Khan presided over the media training whereas senior education expert at RFI Abdul Aziz Usmani co-chaired the training.
Aftab Khan while moderating the training, said that the exacerbating environmental degradation could impact the country’s exports as in the European countries, it was being pondered to levy taxes on imported goods bearing the burden of huge carbon emissions which would cut the thriving profit margins of the Pakistani goods.
He mentioned that the country was already bearing the brunt of massive natural disasters incurring huge economic and life losses. He suggested that the media men have to adopt unique and out-of-the-box approaches to bring climate change in the limelight to sensitise masses on the severity of the situation.
The training comprised of two sessions whereas in the first the moderator Aftab Khan discussed environmental degradation, international frameworks and pledges to cope with climate change, various kinds of disasters faced by the country, gaps in media reporting on environmental issues, possible measures to improve reporting on climate change.
A majority of working environmental journalists from print, electronic, and broadcast media participated in the training workshop and group activity presentations providing suggestions to ensure proactive role of the government, parliamentarians, civil society organisations, and media to actively engage in result oriented endeavors to address increasing climate change impacts in the region.
Director, Capital Development Authority (CDA) Rana Kashif Nazir as the chief guest at the event, said the CDA was ready to welcome policy making endeavors to preserve environment in the capital. He welcomed the media and civil society organisations to guide and propose policy recommendations.
“The media and civil society organisations should form a single platform to spearhead environmental conservation efforts that will help in effective and positive result bearing outcomes,” the CDA Director suggested. He assured that the policy recommendations would be considered and reviewed by the Authority for further action.
The training session concluded with certificates and mementos distribution by the chief guest among the participants and moderators.
