The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has launched a toolkit to support journalists in the Pacific region in effectively communicating on climate change and related environmental issues.
The toolkit consists of a series of factsheets containing information on different aspects of climate change, and a manual of activities for improving journalists' climate change reporting and interview techniques.
5 August 2014: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has launched a toolkit to support journalists in the Pacific region in effectively communicating on climate change and related environmental issues. The toolkit consists of a series of factsheets containing information on different aspects of climate change, and a manual of activities for improving journalists’ climate change reporting and interview techniques.
The media toolkit was produced by SPREP in partnership with the Pacific-Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation Planning Programme of the Australian Government. It builds on SPREP’s existing media outreach programme, and marks the conclusion of the two partners’ ‘Pacific Media and Climate Change Project,’ which trained 60 Pacific climate change practitioners and nearly 100 media workers. The toolkit comes in response to calls from Pacific media for assistance with understanding the issue, and its elaboration process included wide consultations with members of the region’s media to ensure suitability.
Introducing the manual, David Sheppard, SPREP Director-General, stressed the powerful role of the media in the Pacific region, and noted that support by media “in sharing news and information can make a positive impact in helping communities to understand and learn more about key environment issues that affect the region’s sustainable development.”
The activities manual comprises 12 activities, including on: assessing national coverage on environmental issues; interviewing tips; developing contact lists; simplifying technical terms; and drawing links between climate change and other environmental issues, including biodiversity and waste.
The two-page factsheets cover the following topics: climate change and ecosystem-based adaptation; climate change mitigation; climate change and waste; and the causes of climate change. Two further factsheets, on climate change and adaptation, and meteorology and climate change, are expected to be published on 25 August 2014, on the SPREP Pacific Media and Climate Change Toolkit 2014 website.
SPREP, based in Apia, Samoa, is the Pacific region’s inter-governmental organization for environment and sustainable development. Its purpose is to promote cooperation in the South Pacific region and provide assistance in the protection and sustainable development of the region’s environment. [SPREP Press Release] [SPREP Pacific Media and Climate Change Toolkit 2014] [Publication: Pacific Media and Climate Change Toolkit: Activities Manual] [Publication: Climate Change and Ecosystem Based Adaptation] [Publication: Climate Change Mitigation] [Publication: Climate Change and Waste] [Publication: What Causes Climate Change?] [SPREP Website]