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“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed”. My trip to Nepal in connection with “South Asian media workshop on Adaptation to Climate Change” has explained the meanings of this quotation. Unfortunately in recent years the way media has promoted politics across the world, we didn’t see much awareness on climate change on parallel lines. While keeping in view the level of environmental degradation this issue should have been addressed with more attention to aware and educate people. I searched for a single journalist who has been covering environment as separate beat; but answer was a big NO. Environment is a part time job for Pakistani Journalists and a subbject of less priority for the editors.
However the organizers of workshop including Regional Climate Change Adaptation Knowledge Platform for Asia (Adaptation Knowledge Platform); the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN); the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD); and the Asia Pacific Mountain Network (APMN) were optimistic regrading the future of environment journalism. Thus a whole bunch of experts from media, people with scientific backgrounds and experts on localized environmental problems provided information to the 24 participants from seven countries regarding how important is to aware masses about the updated scientific information on environmental issues, particularly with regard to increasing impacts and vulnerability due to growing climate and socioeconomic changes and adaptation needs of the people in South Asia.
It is believed that media is playing most effective role in terms of educating people on what is happening in different ecosystems, and how climate change is effecting the future of global community. But there is a need to inform people in such manner that is familiar to them. I have been writing on several issues including food insecurity in Pakistan, water scarcity and depleting water resources available for agriculture and Global warming as concerned human being. However my layman view is changed after attending this workshop and I have found a direction not only to treat my story on environment in particular manner bearing quality to attract targeted people but being environmentally responsible too.
Climate change is not a linear process that can be easily dealt with, it is a complex process and multi-pronged consequences for biosphere. It is difficult to eradicate the environmental degradation completely; however we can either adopt changes or mitigate the effects in coming years partially. It is incumbent upon journalists to aware masses, and governments need to formulate policies that are more adaptive towards the climate change. However with more back ground knowledge journalists and professionals who work for the protection of environment can guide masses. Such workshops provide handful knowledge not only to the field journalists but to new comers where sometimes lack of understanding of the issues often leads to serious misreporting of the facts adding further confusion to climate discourses. Certainly trans-boarder cooperation is the need of hour to tackle several problems and developing strategies to aware people.
After this workshop I have become more cautious as journalist while flooding information about environment and treating earth more carefully. I have realized this world is so beautiful to be destroyed by our individual acts or collective human activity.
Interesting read Rubab.
It is good to know your perspective about the workshop. I also feel the same. I wrote to Joydeepda that we should have devoted more time to discuss editorial issues while covering change. Maybe we could do it next time…
Exactly tashi.. alot more to know and learn.. from every perspective.. it was just a small blog i am planing to write a series ,.. need little research .. will keep u updated and posting
There is such massive disinformation on these topics that most people will never know where the truth lies. It is usually about 180 degrees from what the major media spins.
GMO, mono-cultures, and factory farming are the CAUSE of major problems NOT the cure. A return to people planting and growing heirloom seeds far from anywhere they can be contaminated by GMO and especially terminator technology would feed FAR more people – and more importantly they would be eating healthy food full of nutrients instead of packaged junk void of nutrition.
While much of the world doesn’t have clean water, developed countries like the U.S. contaminate their water with fluoride – not naturally occurring fluoride – fluoride scraped from the smoke stacks of aluminum plants that also contains lead, aluminum and other heavy metals. This is what Nazi Germany did to those in concentration camps to make them passive.
Greed is the ONLY reason there are hungry people ANYWHERE. Some statistics show that 20% of American children go to bed hungry – often living within a few miles of affluent Americans in total denial who – if they were told – would blame the working poor for their lot when it is NOT their fault.
We collectively all of us everywhere need to stop supporting the selfish, greedy, ultra-rich who believe none of us are any more important than an ant in their child’s ant farm.
The first step is simple. Stop buying from multi-national corporations and buy from your local small businesses instead. If you resell, source locally. Focus on cost over time – not cheap – because cheap is often vastly more expensive.
If every person everywhere stopped shopping at Wal-Mart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. and stopped buying big brands the world would change almost overnight. More people would be paid a living wage and more money would circulate among those who work for a living.
I encourage all bloggers to become role models and raise awareness of the REAL truth – NOT what the media tells you. They are owned by those same multi-nationals and it is all spin.
Rightly mention and pointed towards very important issue Gail!
collective efforts are needed to gear up in terms of climate change. meanwhile supporting local small business is a wonderful idea ..
I am sure bloggers will be coming up new and frsh ideas in this regard
Rubab Saleem,
Exactly, we are completely abounded in many vicious circle of problems whether of climate changing spere, water-sanitory shortage and others many can possibly be handled by awareness towards people ‘you, me and others’ so as to save worsening environment.
Sarfraz Shaikh
I felt happy upon your endeavor working over these problems as your recent trip to nepal.
Thanks Sarfraz!
Huge and organized effort is needed to aware people for broader and far reaching consequences in future.. Climate change has adversely effected the world and need alot to do in this field.. Important is to realise the need
so you were there for real, it wasnt a joke. well jokes a part glad to know that you have been to such an healthy and informative environment and more on that it has been proven to be effective on you. change starts within and that is the core from where the biggest change can grow that can cover the others too.
hain!!! and how did you get an impression that I was joking .. I went to Nepal and will planing to go to Bhutan soon
What is all this about…!!!