China Daily Gathers Media Leaders and Experts to Discuss Role of Media in Addressing Climate Change


For Immediate Release
PRESS RELEASE

China Daily Gathers Media Leaders and Experts to Discuss Role of Media in Addressing Climate Change

HONG KONG, Feb 5, 2021 – Co-organized by China Daily, University of International Business and Economics, Shanghai International Studies University and Asia News Network, the “Belt and Road Media Seminar” on “Climate Changes: Challenges for Asian Nations” was held virtually on Friday, Feb 5, 2021. Researchers and journalists joined online.

The threats of climate change have no boundaries and require multiple countries and policies to face up to the web of problems it creates. Without proper adaptation and mitigation policies, Asian societies and economies will be increasingly vulnerable to climate risks.

Mr. Zhou Shuchun, Standing Committee Member of the CPPCC National Committee, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of China Daily, delivered the welcoming remarks. “Planet Earth is our only home and addressing climate change has a direct bearing on the future of humanity. The future of global climate governance is drawing greater attention and no country can avoid the crisis. There must be global action, global response and global cooperation,” he said. He also highlighted that the efforts of Asia News Network members have fostered favorable public opinion in the international community, which further facilitates Asian nations in their joint endeavor to tackle the global challenge.

Dr. Joy Jacqueline Pereira, Vice-Chair, Working Group II, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, shared her insights on the topic “Asian Awareness of Climate Change: More to be Done”. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. She said that since preindustrial times, human activities have caused approximately 1°C of global warming and at the current rate, 1.5°C of global warming would be reached between 2030 and 2052. However, she stressed that limiting global warming to 1.5°C is not impossible, but political and societal will to accelerate transitions is the key.

Dr. Gao Xiang, Professor and Division Director of International Policy Research, National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, spoke on the topic “China’s Climate Change Priorities and Impacts on the Rest of Asia”. The National Center for Climate Change Strategy Research and International Cooperation is an institution directly under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Gao highlighted that carbon peaking and neutrality is one of the eight key areas for 2021 set by the Economic Work Conference of China. He stressed that China is actively participating in global climate governance, is a staunch supporter of multilateralism and is willing to help other developing countries enhance their capacity to cope with climate change.

Insight Spotlight was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Mr. Pana Janviroj, Executive Director, Asia News Network; and Dr. DJ Clark, Multimedia Director, China Daily Asia Pacific. Researchers and journalists participated in the panel discussion. They are: Ms. Zofeen Ebrahim, Pakistan Editor, The Third Pole; Ms. Krixia Subingsubing, Reporter, Philippine Daily Inquirer;Mr. Jonathan Lynn, Head of Communications and Media Relations, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Ms. Jessica Cheam, Founder and Managing Director, Eco-Business; and Mr. Hou Liqiang, Reporter, China Daily. Together with Dr. Joy Jacqueline Pereira, Vice-Chair, Working Group II, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and Dr. Gao Xiang, Professor and Division Director of International Policy Research, National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, speakers examined how the media can better play a leading role in communicating the threats of climate change to the stakeholders.

Joy Jacqueline Pereira said, “with respect to solutions for rising sea level, what we have seen in the Southeast Asian region is that Singapore has taken a lot of action in terms of adapting to sea level rise…they have very limited land so they have to take a very strong infrastructure type of protection. In contrast, Indonesia has a great mix of both the natural land-based solutions and also infrastructure. So there are good examples that come from the region that can be emulated. Of course, we can also learn from East Asia, the way that China is handling it as a way forward.”

Gao Xiang said we should enhance international cooperation, including through multilateral governance frameworks, to address the issue and provide support to developing countries. “I think for those developing countries, we can enhance the cooperation on climate change. Especially with the concept of green recovery, we need to enhance this kind of mechanism and cooperation to implement this concept into practice,” he said.

Zofeen Ebrahim said one of the biggest challenges that Pakistan is facing is that it is completely unprepared. “We don’t even have a plan for how to decarbonize ourselves when the world around us is continuously and rapidly doing that,” she added.

Krixia Subingsubing said most of the people in the Philippines accept and are aware of the connection between climate change and the extreme weather events that we experience, because they actually feel it get worse every day. “Our fatalities rise with every new disaster that is coming to our country. Typhoon is a very intricate part of Filipinos’ lives, but the problem is how to get them involved in the topic, even if it is not a typhoon season or even if the climate crisis is not a seasonal topic. Our paradigm right now is that climate change is really a communications battle, not just to combat climate change deniers, but also about how to get people who are indifferent to the topic to be interested in the science behind climate change,” she said.

Jonathan Lynn said it’s best to have some kind of positive story related to climate change in the sense that you show how people are coming to a solution. “I think it’s very important to look for those positive examples, which can then be referred back to. This actually then addresses another problem in writing about climate change, which is that it is a very complicated and abstract subject…to come to grips with that can be quite hard for non-specialists. I think linking the story to people and showing a positive solution or outcome are very important,” he said.

Jessica Cheam said that the role of government is crucial in coping with climate change. “The world has made tremendous progress in tackling climate change. The US’ rejoining the Paris Agreement is very timely. The Singapore government has made a net-zero pledge, though with no time frame yet. We have seen that Japan, South Korea, and China are making these very important pledges. I think that the road to net-zero is fraught with many challenges. Multilateralism and trust are needed to deal with the challenges,” she said.

Hou Liqiang said a marked trend he has noticed in China’s climate progress is that the Chinese government is attaching greater and greater importance to turn to international cooperation for wisdom to tackle climate change.

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The China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable is a by-invitation network of movers and shakers in Asia, providing platforms for focused dialogue, issue investigation and possible collective action on strategic issues relating to Asia’s economic, business and social development. Our aim is to enhance communication and increase mutual understanding between China, Asian and Western countries. Roundtable events are held in major cities across Asia.