The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance(PACJA) has today urged the media to continue elevating issues around the climate crisis in the continent and on global news platforms.
Speaking during the launch of the seventh African Climate Change and Environmental Reporting (ACCER) Awards, PACJA executive director Mithika Mwenda said that mainstream and social media will play a key role in COP 27.
“The conference is expected to present a golden opportunity for Africa to set the pace and steer the climate negotiation,” he said.
This year’s theme was to drive and shape the African narratives that ultimately influence the 27th conference of parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change.
The conference will be held in Egypt in November this year.
Journalists were urged to sign up for the noble cause of raising interest in climate change and environmental reporting.
Mwenda noted that this year is a compelling year for Africa and the media coverage of climatic change must amplify the African aspirations and narratives within the larger climate discourses ahead of COP 27.
“Despite climate change being a ubiquitous news story of the media, for African media, however, climate justice is the ‘real big story,” he said.
Mithika said that there will be 5 award categories which include;
- ACCER Grand Price which will recognize the best climate change and environmental stories across all platforms.
- ACCER Radio journalism award and two runners-up which will recognize the best story by radio journalists.
- ACCER television journalism award and two runners-up which will recognize the story by a television journalist.
- ACCER print journalism award which will recognize the best story by a newspaper or news magazine journalist.
- ACCER online journalism award which will recognize the best story by an online journalist.
All stories should be environment or climate change-related.
Writers should apply by sharing work that appeared on their media house’s digital platforms or sending recordings or images of their work published on other platforms by attaching in the online form or emailing to [email protected]