Pakistan, long beleaguered by the deleterious repercussions of climate change, grapples with recurring calamities like floods, exacting a toll on millions of lives.
In a collaborative effort to mark World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), UNESCO Islamabad, in partnership with Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU), orchestrated a pivotal event on Tuesday, held at the university’s premises. Over a hundred participants, comprising representatives from civil society, youth organizations, media professionals, academia, and diplomatic missions, converged to underscore the indispensable role of independent environmental and scientific journalism in addressing the looming specter of climate change.
This year’s WPFD theme, “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis,” served as a clarion call for media activism in combating the climate emergency, both on a global scale and within the specific context of Pakistan, as stated in a press release.
The event meticulously delineated the urgency of bridging the chasm between climate change data and journalistic narrative, underscoring the pivotal significance of factual, evidence-based reporting in catalyzing societal action against disinformation.
Antony Kar Hung Tam, Officer in Charge of UNESCO Islamabad, accentuated, “The information ecosystem stands as the linchpin in addressing this existential peril. In an era characterized by the meteoric rise of digital platforms, unfettered access to credible information and the fortification of independent environmental and scientific journalism assume unparalleled importance.”
In a discourse shedding light on the imperative to amplify climate change coverage, Prof. Dr. Uzaira Rafique, Vice Chancellor of Fatima Jinnah Women University, underscored the critical need for veracious and research-grounded news narratives to bolster climate change reportage in the country.
Pakistan, long beleaguered by the deleterious repercussions of climate change, grapples with recurring calamities like floods, exacting a toll on millions of lives. Despite governmental endeavors, climate change remains a relatively marginalized subject in Pakistani media, exacerbating the existing lacuna between the proliferation of academic and scientific research on climate change and its scant representation in the media landscape.
Acknowledging the imperative of integrating youthful perspectives into climate change narratives, budding scholars, fresh from their academic foray into climate change reporting, elucidated that digital platforms exhibit a dearth of climate change content, attributed to various factors including algorithmic biases and erratic reporting on pertinent issues. The symposium convened an eclectic cohort of experts to delineate pathways for bolstering the dissemination of credible, evidence-based information on climate change.
Looking ahead, UNESCO reiterates its unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety of journalists and facilitating unfettered access to information, thereby engendering a climate where free and pluralistic information acts as a bulwark for safeguarding democracies and our shared planetary habitat.