Transcript introduction

CLIMATE CHANGE PUBLIC
AWARENESS
Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Water and
Environmental Affairs
Albi Modise
Chief Director: Communications
INTRODUCTION
• Environmental education and awareness is increasingly being
promoted as a tool in managing our environment and create a sense
of ownership and heighten awareness.
• In the 20th century serious environmental concerns like pollution,
climate change, biodiversity, etc have triggered great concern about
the relationship between humanity and the environment.
• In 1978 UNESCO Tbilisi Declaration, mentioned the need for
environmental education.
• This Declaration Convention defined environmental education as “ a
process of developing a world population that is aware of and
concerned about the total environment and its associated
problems, and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes,
motivation and commitment to work individually and
collectively towards solution of current problems and the
prevention of new ones”.
INTRODUCTION
• Parties to the UNFCCC have accepted certain commitments, taking
into account their common but differentiated responsibilities and
specific regional and national priorities.
• At national and regional level, the:
– Development and implementation of public awareness
programme on climate change and its effects
– Public access to information on climate change and its effects
– Adopting a participatory process for addressing climate change
and its effects.
INTRODUCTION(continues)
• There is need to continuously heighten awareness of Climate Change
while also seeking to promote actions that seek to minimise damage on
the environment is vital.
• Public education and awareness is critical to attain environmental and
ethical awareness, values and attitudes, skills and behaviour consistent
with sustainable development and effective empowerment of the
general public in decision making.
• With the debate on Climate Change accelerating at multilateral level,
this is an opportune moment to address public awareness. With South
Africa preparing to host the COP 17, there will inevitably be a lot of
interest on the process, whilst also affording us an opportunity to raise
the debate on climate change as a threat to human development.
• Notwithstanding international efforts, South Africa has just finished
road-shows on National Climate Change Response Strategy Green
Paper process.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
• To educate the general public and other relevant stakeholders of the
unique South African environment and its importance. For example
South Africa is the third mega diverse country.
• To heighten public awareness on how behavioral and consumption
patterns change could have a negative effect on our quest to protect the
environment in our own simple way, each of us have a role to play, not
just government.
• To simplify the various themes and issue of climate change with
targeted and outreach driven tactics employed to influence this change.
• To support the conservation and sustainable management of South
Africa’s resources . Our lifestyle is placing a strain on our environment.
• To urge South Africans to report environmental crimes to the authority.
• To ultimately improve the quality of life of South Africans .
UNDERSTANDING THE
CONTEXT OF
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Government work is a public activity, hence we must engage
communities pro-actively in the attainment of a citizenry that is
conscious of environment (and its goods and services).
Despite this being a cross-cutting and concurrent function, DEA
as the national department is expected to provide sector
leadership.
DEA to work with other departments (Health, Education, GCIS,
Water Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, COGTA, etc)
Government has a constitutional obligation to inform the public,
since an informed citizen is able to take informed decisions.
Development communications demands active citizen
involvement in government programs – Development is about
people.
Active engagement with citizenship ensures empowerment
KEY PRIORITY AREAS
• Enhancement of the understanding of the science of Climate
Change to ensure all levels of participation nationally.
• Strengthen collaboration with the National Disaster Management
Centres in ensuring Early Warning signals reach communities to be
affected. Collaboration with community structures like religious,
women, youth formations and community media structures.
• Participation by disadvantaged and vulnerable groups to be
encouraged to ensure informed citizenry.
• Climate Change, its effects and how ordinary South Africans can
make a difference
• Collaboration with SAWS on the patterns that have been observed
over the past years. This will paint a picture of how the temperatures
have been observed overtime.
• Get provincial and local government to actively drive the message
aimed at creating awareness and arm communities with information.
COMMUNICATIONS VEHICLES
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Launch of coordinated multimedia and outreach driven Public
Education and Awareness Campaign employing wide range of
social marketing tactics and platforms:
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Television, Radio, Print, On-line (New Media)
The Green Line TV programme on SABC 3, co-sponsored by DEA
Dedicated Radio Talk shows discussing Climate Change and its Impact
(Public , Commercial and Community Radio Stations). Engage communities.
Partner with print media to have a series of focused pages on Climate
Change that would unpack the phenomenon and need for behavioral change(
for e.g. use renewable energy, water saving tips, energy saving tips, etc)
Industrial Theatre, Outreach programmes aimed at allowing direct
engagement and unpacking of messages in relevant language.
Engage Basic Education. School visits demonstrations and wall charts
demystifying Climate Change
At Stakeholder Engagement level, partner with private sector to
close other possible gaps.
WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
• Severe flooding and drought could worsen.
• Our behavioral change is key in the reduction of carbon emissions.
• Carbon creates a blanket in the upper atmosphere that traps heat.
This in turn is directed back onto the earth and results in what is
called global warming.
• Worldwide we begin to realize an increase in global temperatures
• Our own country has also been affected by this increase. For e.g.
changes in ocean temperatures and currents affected our marine
resources and there has been a southwards shift in some of our fish
stocks. This will impact negatively on food security.
• Affect our quest to build a healthy South Africa, with a risk that
malaria and other water borne diseases could spread to new areas
and put many more people at risk.
COMMUNICATIONS CHAMPIONS
• Members of Parliament as public representatives of various
constituencies are at the grassroots level of engagement.
• Minister and Deputy Minister who as part of their Public Participation
Programmes should use these platforms to heighten awareness
• Media houses to be enlisted as possible Champions (SABC,
National Community Radio Forum, Media Development and
Diversity Agency, Avusa, Independent, Primedia, Kagiso, Media 24,
etc).
• Enlist the services of well known South African personalities to drive
the message of Climate Change as posing threat to development
and Africa’s ability to feed itself, etc.
• Some communities in South Africa cannot receive a basic radio and
or television signal. If you employ traditional media, these
communities are left out. Hence a multimedia approach, i.e.
Outreach efforts using industrial theatre to transmit the messages.
MEDIA PROFILE
• SA has over 561 magazines read by just over 12 million people
that should be looked at as platforms of engagement.
• Over 15 million South Africans read newspapers, with over 29
million of them listening to the radio (community, commercial and
public service stations)
• SABC is the biggest media house in the country with 15 Public
Broadcasting Service radio stations and 3 Public Commercial
Broadcasting Services reaching over 90% of South Africans in all
official languages.
• Over 26 million South Africans watch TV in South Africa.
Evidently, collaborating with SABC and eTV is central to reaching
these households.
• Vuk’uzenzele has a print order of 1,6 million copies which are
circulated in all the nine provinces.
COMMUNICATIONS APPROACH
• Given the interrelationships in the issues of Climate Change, more
co ordinate communications and awareness approach is central.
• This must be driven at inter-departmental level for the attainment of
our strategic objectives. Co ordination with the GCIS for integrated
messaging that recognises each department’s role
• Role of COGTA key in light of the role played by the National
Disaster Management Centre. Solicit the response of ordinary
people on the ground in case of an impending natural disaster.
END !
THANKS