Civil Society Organization on Climate Change (CISONECC) has said that media was critical in raising messages regarding climate change impacts.
Speaking on the sidelines of the loss and damage sensitization workshop which CISONECC organized for its stakeholders including members of the media on Friday at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe, CISONECC National Coordinator, Julius Ng’oma said the media need to raise awareness about climate change impacts especially the loss and damage that occurs due to natural disasters which rise as a result of climate change.
“The Media is vital tool of spreading information, in so doing it remains the key in as far as raising awareness about climate change issues is concerned,” he said.
Asked about what prompted the engagement of the media in the sensitization workshop about loss and damage, Ng’oma said that there was a need for members of the media to have more knowledge about the climate change impacts particularly the loss and damage hence the sensitization workshop.
“The loss and damage associated with the impact of climate change is quite a new concept in the sense that it has not been used before, even within United Nations framework convention on climate change it has not been well agreed by different parties or countries.
“Therefore, there are still some things that are supposed to be ironed out and if the media understands well the issues relating to this loss and damage concept their reporting would be very accurate,” the Coordinator said.
He said that if the media have enough knowledge concerning loss and damage it would help them to be good advocate when it comes to calling developed countries to do something about the issue of loss and damage especially by providing financial support towards assessment of loss and damages coursed by climate change impacts.
Speaking after the sensitization workshop, Malawi News Agency (Mana) Deputy Managing Editor, Tione Andsen hailed CISONECC for engaging the media on addressing climate change Impact issues mainly the loss and damage.
“Sometimes as members of the media, we do have less knowledge of what to report, for this reason we are grateful to CISONECC for sensitizing us on issues concerning climate change impacts especially the loss and damage this will help us write good stories relating to loss and damage,” he noted.
