CANSA And SLPI Conducted Their Second Workshop On Climate Change And Development Journalism

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The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) being the leading media development institute in Sri Lanka offers systematic training for journalists while promoting self-regulation in the print media and advocating for a free and responsible media system within the country.

On the other hand Climate Action Network South Asia (CANSA) is a coalition of 112 civil society organizations from seven countries of South Asia, demanding that all countries ratify the second commitment period of Kyoto protocol by 2015. CANSA is on a vision to strive actively towards the protection of the global climate in a manner that promotes equity and social justice between people, sustainable development of all communities, and protection of the global environment.

The two renowned organizations collaboratively conducted the second Workshop on Climate Change and Development Journalism for local journalists on Thursday 20th March 2014 at the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), Colombo 05. The workshop focused on variety of topics including Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), science and climate change and about communicating climate change to the public.

The speakers for the event included Ms. Priyangi Jayasinghe a senior climate researcher of the Munasinghe Institute for Development and Ms.VosithaWijeynayake CANSA Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator and Southern Voices Program Regional Facilitator for Asia.

Ms. PriyangiJayasinghe with her vast experience on the topic spoke extensively on the impact of the climate change from both global and Sri Lankan perspectives. She mentioned about the importance of sustainable development in the wake of climate change. She emphasized on the importance of scientists, journalists and climate change activists looking for solutions in an integrated fashion for this issue of climate change and also the importance to transform governance systems, entrust responsibility in the civil society and the private sector as well as communicate climate change to all levels of the society.

Ms. Wijeynayake taking over the session mentioned that information is not synonymous with communication and that communication becomes important through what we do with the information and it’s our duty to translate it to something bigger by creating a dialogue.

The workshop emphasized on the role entrusted in the hands of the journalist, to communicate the immediate need of protecting the environment.