The Climate Change Project

Dear all, I feel it is time to jump into matters related to how to share the information. I would like to hear about your ideas on how to best communicate the issues we are talking about - How would you suggest to communicate with the different target groups? - Any communication strategy that could enhance communication amongst people from the south? Below some thoughts and ideas for starting up the discussion. We need to address different categories of stakeholders and as an example have a look at what CTA recently came up with during the discussions they engaged in related to climate change and leading to the international seminar on the implications of climate change on sustainable agricultural production systems in ACP countries that took place in Burkina Faso 26 to 31 October 2008. In our files section I have uploaded the reports from the conference meetings with the recommendations that represent an outcome of the international seminar mentioned above - you will see that one section of the discussions was about "Information and Communication Strategies" At policy levels, The need to improve access of local communities to weather and climate-related information and to the knowledge of best coping strategies should be the priority. This should be done by: 1. Developing information and communication strategies at national and regional levels that include the specific goals and targets and ensure that communication is not just one way. 2. Developing climate change platforms that could provide a space where scientists, researchers, decision makers and practitioners could share their knowledge and experience on climate change adaptation and engage in a process of mutual learning. It could also provide timely and sound information to communicators. 3. Build capacity to interpret climate change information at national and community levels 4. Facilitate development of Local Environmental Action Plans (LEAPs) through participatory Environmental planning workshops 5. Convene National or regional workshops where meteorological services department share information on seasonal forecasts with agricultural officers 6. Promote and support Television and radio daily programmes on impacts of climate change 7. Regular update of information on climate change issues For these information and communication strategies to be more efficient, climate change could be included in the education curriculum from the primary school. The climate information disseminated should be made user friendly. Thus should be disseminated in local languages commonly spoken in specific regions. At community level, the strategies to improve communication should centre on: 1. promoting village schools and field days where farmers share experiences on good farming practices and agricultural shows where best or sustainable adaptive strategies should be awarded 2. Participation in the identification and the design of communication strategies through community workshop and development of community based frameworks for monitoring environmental changes 3. Promoting “ Village Environmental News Teams (VENTs) that would monitor and regularly report any form of environmental issues 4. Establish information centres to provide information to communities and Promote the use of mobile phone to share/exchange information on weather forecasts 5. Promote local radio “Radio Rural” (FM stations) Here the link to a product that will help generating more awareness about the issue we are talking about - a program that highlighted the adaptation strategies developed by rural communities in the ACP countries to deal the negative impact of climate change to agricultural production: www.initiative-africa.com Once again I would also like to let you know that the opportunity to learn how communities are dealing with climate change through the use of agrobiodiversity and how would you organize the information we are collecting is always open! So, this is the place for sharing : ) and to take advantage of communicating with a group of experts interested in climate change and agrobiodiversity. Looking forward, thanks! Paul

Dear All I am sure in every country there is an effort by Goverments, NGOs, coporate world to raise awareness issues pertaining to climate change . Different media chennels and tools are used to make communities aware of what is happening in a simpler and understandable way. This unique method is being used in India , Mumbai .... "A SWIMMING POOL" Indian financial capital Mumbai now boasts an eye-catching swimming pool, which has been built to raise awareness about the threat of sea level rises due to global warming. The pool at sports centre in Bhaktipark, Wadala. was constructed by attaching a giant aerial photograph of the New York City skyline to the floor of the pool. “The challenge was to reach out to people who are otherwise indifferent to the cause in a non-theoretical manner. HSBC wanted to convey the message in a unique visual way that would grab people’’s attention and couldn”t be ignored,” the Telegraph quoted Ogilvy spokesman Nabendu Bhattacharyya as saying. “The Ogilvy team came up with an innovative way to show the adverse impact of global climate change. They glued an aerial view of a city to the base of a swimming pool. When the pool was filled with water, it gave a shocking effect akin to a city submerged in water. The visual of a sunken city shocked swimmers and onlookers, driving home the impact of global warming, and how it could destroy our world someday,” Bhattacharyya added. The pool has been so successful that HSBC, the world’’s first bank to turn carbon neutral, is considering building more of them in cities worldwide. (ANI) Read the article

Thanks Bongi! This is a great way to get attention. Is anyone aware of other big shots (like HSBC) doing similar work and/or, community based awareness raising efforts? The UNFCCC Local Coping Strategies Database features one project that involves community members in measuring risk. For sure this has an awareness raising value - Community risk assessment and mapping in Central Tajikistan Developing joint adaptation projects across communities Paul