Journalists equipped to tackle climate change through powerful storytelling

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Namibia, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), has empowered journalists and media professionals with specialised skills to improve climate change reporting. The training workshop aimed to boost public awareness, foster informed dialogue and enhance the quality of climate journalism across the country.

This initiative aligns with UNDP Namibia’s broader sustainability goals, including community-based adaptation (CBA) projects, the green economy transition and UNDPsupported policy frameworks. These efforts rely on accurate public discourse to influence climate legislation and improve environmental governance.

The workshop also supports the goals of UNDP’s Climate Promise 2 Project, which assists Namibia in strengthening its nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The project focuses on advancing climate policy, promoting low-carbon development, and engaging the public in climate action.

“By equipping journalists with the tools to report on climate change accurately, this training ensures that essential climate information reaches the public, policymakers and key stakeholders,” said Hendrina Shikalepo, communications analyst at UNDP. “This approach fosters greater awareness, accountability and action, aligning perfectly with Climate Promise 2’s emphasis on inclusive engagement and evidencebased policymaking,” she added.

Topics covered during the training included:

• Climate change impacts and Namibia’s national climate policies.

• The role of the media in raising climate awareness.

• Best practices in accurate and impactful climate reporting.

• Ethical journalism, misinformation and sensationalism avoidance.

• Practical investigative sessions with data-driven storytelling techniques.

Shikalepo emphasised UNDP’s commitment to working closely with editors, senior journalists and community radio stations to integrate climate reporting into mainstream news and grassroots media.

“Community radios, with their broad rural reach, will be key in ensuring that critical climate information reaches remote and marginalised communities, particularly those most vulnerable to climate impacts,” she added.

Journalists play a vital role in shaping national dialogue by providing science-based information that educates the public and counters climate misinformation. They can also spotlight successful climate adaptation and mitigation efforts in the country, inspire collective action and act as watchdogs, monitoring the implementation of climate policies and agreements.

Shikalepo further highlighted the importance of constructive media involvement: “The media should not only critique; it should also amplify community and government initiatives that promote sustainability and resilience. Journalists must be informed, engage in research, understand national climate policies and NDCs, and ask the right questions to hold decision-makers accountable.”

She urged journalists to approach climate storytelling with fairness and empathy, ensuring that affected communities are represented accurately and without sensationalism.

Follow-up sessions are planned to ensure continuous engagement and capacity-building for journalists. Under the NDC 3.0 Project framework, the emphasis will be on strengthening media networks, deepening climate dialogue and expanding communication efforts across the country.

Maggie Forcelledo Paz