Data and solution journalism to report on climate change and environmental issue

September 30, 2023
Enjoi Team
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Journalism can make climate change concrete and promote action to fight it

Climate change is increasingly in the headlines. Its (negative) influence on our lives is now tangible. Still, for some reasons – mainly related to how our brain perceives dangers and risks – our attitude remains largely passive, and awareness of the seriousness and urgency of the problem is often lacking. In this respect, information also plays a role, first, because of the importance of finding the right way to transfer scientific knowledge and scenarios proposed by experts to citizens – everyone, not just those interested in the subject. Secondly, to create a shared awareness and, hence, a more significant commitment to action.

Using data to make climate change tangible and close

Correct information means being able to report data, statistics and analyses understandably, interpreting them correctly and making them accessible to all. An effort that should come from journalists. Data journalism can make climate change tangible and close by translating complex data and scientific information into accessible narratives, visualizations, and stories that resonate with the general public. It can help people understand the impacts of climate change in their local communities, such as rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns or the frequency of extreme weather events. These are all facts we hear about today, but they are too often presented as exceptional and non-interconnected events. The role of the reporter, instead, should be to create an overview in which the citizen can understand and frame the events as pieces of the same, inevitable trend.

An example of the very close link between human actions, primarily political actions capable of creating a considerable impact, and worsening climatic conditions was reported in an investigative work concerning Paraguay. In this case, journalists were able to highlight how dictatorial policies in the country since the 1990s have made the country one of the places in the world with the highest concentration of greenhouse gases per inhabitant. All the data used are public, and the story is complemented by a FAQ section for readers, a glossary and, above all, an email address where questions and enquiries can be addressed. 

The link between politics and environmental action was also explored in another Latin American country, Argentina. The country has already taken some measures that should regulate the protection of fragile ecosystems and species at risk of extinction, control overfishing, manage national parks, ensure that food is labelled correctly, and reduce the use of disposable plastics. However, many policies need to be updated or reformed, and many discussions take place in Congress without often managing to reach the final step of converting the proposals into effective laws. For this reason, the newspaper La Nación formed a team of data experts to build a constantly monitored and updated platform (Spanish) that accounts for the progress being made on the subject. The team was able to build an effective visual monitoring system, using data from official Congress documents and literally making them clearly understandable and constantly updated with detailed explanations and descriptions to show the advancement of discussion for a range of various policies and laws related to 17 environmental issues.

Solution journalism to spread knowledge and stimulate virtuous behaviours

From the data, it is necessary to move on to solutions: to show citizens that concrete and effective actions can be taken and that pursuing a certain path can be an enrichment, not a deprivation. Here, too, journalism can play its part: on one side, reporting on concrete cases, and on the other, educating and spreading information. For example, to address the lack of educational sources on climate change based on solutions, Project Drawdown created Climate Solutions 101, a free online course that uses an innovative educational effort focused solely on solutions and based on rigorous scientific research and analysis. The course consists of six units of videos of about 15 minutes each, where experts were interviewed as inspiring voices from around the world.

Speaking of concrete cases, it is worth mentioning the article in the Dutch newspaper De Correspondent about individual impact on climate change. One often hears that the actions that can impact climate are not personal, but those carried out on a large-scale political and economic level. Unfortunately, however, this statement too often becomes an excuse to sit back and watch. The article's title, 'The big climate guide: you can do this yourself against climate change' (Dutch), is meaningful: it is a series of practical solutions everyone can implement daily to reduce their impact on the planet. The article highlights how people's combined actions can itself become large-scale actions. The story continues with 48 questions and answers about making our everyday life more sustainable. It also helps people understand how much greenhouse gases they emit and how. Then you can look for the most effective measures. This solution journalism approach revolves around public awareness and community engagement, addressing a global issue in a practical, local, and yet potentially effective way.

 

Featured image by Ed Hawkins, climate scientist at University of Reading, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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