By MONICA KAYOMBO,Zambia,Lusaka
CLIMATE change has been described as not being gender-neutral because of the varied impacts, risks and opportunities that are experienced differently by women, men, and the youth.
For this reason, the media has been called upon to amplify these challenges faced by those impacted by climate change and help change the narrative.
Speaking during the recently held virtual meeting for journalists who are members of the Media Science Cafes from Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Uganda, Mission Inclusion (MI) Senior leader in Communications and Advocacy on Climate, Conservation and Social Impact Audrey Masitsa said the media plays an important role in shaping public understanding on issues of Climate change by prioritising policy through the use of voices that are seen as credible.
In her presentation dubbed: “Why does this matter?’’ Ms Masitsa urged the journalists to avoid being observers in climate action but be part of it.
She said based on her experience in the media industry and media monitoring, her observation is that there are several common gaps in Gender and Climate reporting.
She said most times, gender is included as a checkbox, not a lens as women are usually portrayed as victims and beneficiaries.
She added that most Climate change stories focus on impacts and disasters, not agency or solutions as community voices are overshadowed by the experts and institutions that the authors interview on the subject.
“This results in incomplete, extractive storytelling,’’ she said.
Ms Masitsa said effective gender and climate reporting requires accurate information grounded in lived realities and context that links local stories to systems policies.
She said journalists must also strive to bring out human centred stories before projects and be power aware by balancing the story by considering who speaks, decides and benefits from the climate change news.
She said journalists can add real value to Climate action by helping their audiences to see the link between local action, national policy, community adaptation, Global climate finance and Gender equality climate resilience.
She says journalists can help change the narrative in climate change reporting by asking better questions, spending more time in communities affected by climate change, follow up beyond events, build trust with practitioners and hold the systems and not communities accountable.
Ms Masitsa said when journalists report on Women as Climate adaptation leaders through local marine governance for instance, they should bring out the things that the women are doing in shaping climate adaptation.
She said the Mangrove restoration project is one good example where the journalists can bring out what the women are doing to restore coastal protection through livelihood diversification.
She said through the ReSea project, the women are trained in alternative livelihoods and any journalist that takes up the challenge to report on this must go deeper by highlighting the structural barriers such as challenges the women and the youth face to access capital, market power by following the journey on how women are leading in climate adaptation.
She said the Women and youth through capacity building, advocacy and awareness are trained and join local marine governance groups sharing their expertise and leading in designing solutions.
She explained that the ReSea Project is a Regional initiative across Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros is led by Mission Inclusion and IUCN, supported by Global Affairs Canada.
In her closing remarks, Ms Masitsa observed that Gender responsive climate reporting is not advocacy but accuracy.
“When journalists tell fuller stories, they improve public understanding, influence better policy and be able to amplify solutions that are already working.”
