By: Joy Odor/Kaduna
At least, ten Kaduna-based journalists have been trained on how to report on Climate Change and its importance to avert environmental pollution, disasters degradation, and deforestation among others.
The one-day training workshop and sensitization was organized by WomenHood School of Health Sciences in collaboration with African Climate Reporters and other Environmental Experts in Kaduna, North-West, Nigeria on Saturday.
Speaking at the workshop during a paper presentation, the Country Director of African Climate Reporters in Nigeria, Comrade Mohammed Zakariyya hold Nigeria media responsible for not reporting more on climate change the way and manner they do with politics, crime and governments issues.
This, he said, is because the media have important role to play in fighting climate change and environmental degradation but their potential still remains largely untapped.
Comrade Zakariyya continue to emphasized that journalists have the unique ability to help accelerate climate change through advocacy and education through their programs and new but their potential to help achieve the global climate goals agreed in European Parliament, Paris Agreement Ratification April last year still deficient.
The Country Director attributed lack of public interest, increasing complexity, geographical scope of climate issues as some of the challenges faced by Nigerian journalists when trying to report on environmental issues.
“Climate change affects us all, but Nigerians still are not acting as quickly as it should be to address its causes, mitigate the damage and adapt to its effects.
“Nigerian Government and its people do not understand the risks climate change poses to global economic and social structures while sadly, they do not also understand the trivializing of the far-reaching benefits a global shift to sustainability and clean energy would bring to humanity” he said.
Contributing, a Director at the WomenHood Foundation School of Health Sciences, Mallam Nurudden Bello said the Foundation decided to organize the workshop to educate journalists on some of scientific words, terms and how they will be reporting them without having any problems.
He noted that journalists think these subjects are either too complicated for them to understand or too boring for their audience but with the proper preparation and by following few simple rules, reporting science and technology can be one of the most interesting jobs a journalist can do.
“Science has made enormous in roads in understanding climate change and its causes and is beginning to help develop strong understanding of current and potential impacts that will affect people today and in coming decades.
“The understanding is crucial because it allows decision makers to place climate change in the context of other large challenges facing the nation and the world.
Some of the participant were journalist drawn from International radio stations, National, State own media Private owned Radio, On-line and bloggers including experts and religious leaders.
