Boost climate change fight

Climate change is at the centre of global debate because of its grave ramifications in every region.

In East Africa, it has been manifested in unpredictable rainfall seasons and attendant drought, whose impact has been acutely felt in the rising food shortages.

The obvious indications of how climate change is affecting Kenyans’ lives and the environment are the frequent extreme weather changes such as drought, irregular and unpredictable rainfall, flooding and rising temperatures.

The people can no longer tell when the short and long rainy seasons begin and end and how severe or less intense they will be. This uncertainty hampers preparations to grow crops.

The people need to be educated on what these changes mean for them in the short run and long term. The media, as the means for disseminating information to the masses, must be fully engaged.

Indeed, many news organisations around the world are beginning to intensify their reporting on climate change because they recognise the grave global threat.

The upcoming World News Day, September 28, presents an opportunity to look at how the various media houses are preparing themselves to expand climate journalism.

For a phenomenon whose impact is so glaring, there is no time to waste. The media should hire and train more staff and increase budgets to improve and enhance coverage of the climate crisis.

It is instructive to note that Britain will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow from October 31, a weeklong forum under the theme, ‘Uniting the world to tackle climate change’.

It is meant for all those involved to increase climate change mitigation efforts, build resilience and lower emissions, which are to blame for rising temperatures.

It is imperative that individuals, communities, institutions, organisations and countries play their part in the campaign against this menace, but especially the industrialised nations, which are the major polluters.