The Center for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS) and Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) have organized a training workshop ahead of the Climate Conference (COP-28). A two-day training workshop titled ‘Journalism in the Age of Climate Action: COP 28 Coverage Strategies and Mentoring’ to upskill print, electronic and online news journalists and prepare them for the upcoming COP-28 coverage includes environment, climate, loss and damage in 12 other key modules. Training will be provided. 42 print media, 19 television and 25 online journalists are participating in the workshop.
The workshop started on Friday (November 3) from 9 am to 5 pm in the conference room of Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) in the capital. The final day training of the workshop will be held at the same venue on Saturday (November 4).
The newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University inaugurated the training workshop on Friday morning. A. S. M. Maqsood Kamal.
He said that if the temperature increases by two degrees, the drought that is currently happening in the Barendra region of Bangladesh will gradually spread to the southern and central regions of the country. This can have a negative impact on the country’s food security.
Prof. Maqsud Kamal said, although losses and damages were discussed in the past climate conferences (COP), there was no talk about funds. Due to climate change, the temperature in different countries of the world is increasing and decreasing in some places. And due to the increase in temperature, the working capacity of people is decreasing.
Vice-Chancellor said, currently, importance is being given to green industry, but who will provide the necessary funding for it? Bangladesh is the seventh most affected country in the world due to climate change. If the temperature of the world can be kept at 1.5 degrees, the damage in disasters will be less.
Training workshop for journalists on the occasion of Climate Conference (COP-28).
Training workshop for journalists on the occasion of Climate Conference (COP-28).
Barrister Shamim Haider Patwari, Member of Climate Parliament Bangladesh, MP said, “We are not living in an era of climate change, but climate disaster.” Bangladesh has the 2nd highest number of climate refugees after China. If 25% of the delta is lost, what will happen to those helpless people! The adverse effects of climate change are greatest on Bangladesh, so we need to take effective steps now.
Rana Mohammad Sohail MP, while thanking CAPS and PIB for organizing the event to prepare the journalists, said that as a developing and delta country, it is logical for Bangladesh to demand climate compensation at the Climate Conference. The representatives of all the countries appear on one stage in COP, so the journalist group as the representative of Bangladesh can raise the logical demands of the people of this country and get the rights they deserve.
Emeritus professor of BRAC University and expert on water resources and climate change. Ainun Nishat said, the climate is changing very fast. We need to take necessary steps to control this changing climate. Biodiversity and natural ecosystems must be protected. In that case Theory of Change should be applied along with Project of Analysis. Countries that are sitting on compensation, through proper management we need to recover compensation and work to control climate change.
In the speech of the President, Director General of PIB Zafar Wazed said that six seasons cannot be found in Bangladesh due to climate change. We now spend nine months of the year in the heat. The severity of winter has also increased. He said that much was said in the past climate conferences but the results were zero. Care must be taken that the upcoming Dubai conference does not fall into this situation.
Training workshop for journalists on the occasion of Climate Conference (COP-28).
Training workshop for journalists on the occasion of Climate Conference (COP-28).
CPRD chief executive Md. Shamsuddoha, former additional secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and executive coordinator of Nature Conservation Management (Nyacom) also spoke on the first day of the workshop. SM Manjurul Hannan Khan, Chief Executive of Change Initiative M Zakir Hossain Khan, Research Director of Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD). Khandkar Golam Moazzem, Chief of Chittagong Bureau of Business Standard Samchuddin Elias, Executive Coordinator of Youthnet for Climate Justice Sohanur Rahman, Deputy Secretary of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dharitri Kumar Sarkar and special representative of Jamuna TV. Mahfuzur Rahman Mishu.
Saturday’s event will be attended by Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Environment and Climate Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Ambassador of France to Bangladesh Marie Masdupouy and Embassy of Sweden, Sweden’s First Secretary, Environment and Climate Change and Deputy Head, Development Cooperation Section, Nyoka Martinez Backström.
The workshop is co-hosted by BRAC University’s Center for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), Center for Participatory Research and Development (CPRD), Change Initiative, Legal B, Legal Forum Bangladesh, Nature Conservation Management (NACOM), Environment Initiative, South Asian Climate Change Journalists Forum (SACCJF) and Youthnet for Climate Justice.