Addressing the conference held online on April 20 by the Journalists Association of Korea, Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea,Chung Sye-Kyun, urged journalists, environmental experts, and other attendants to join together and solve the climate change problem.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Chung Sye-Kyun, speaks at the event
“This problem can never be solved by the efforts of any single country alone," Chung Sye-Kyun said through an interpreter at the conference."Based on solidarity and cooperation, all countries should put heads together across national borders in order to find solutions.”
The Korean leader highlighted the role of the mediain addressing climate issues. He stressed that when the media shed light on the world through truthful communication and balanced perspectives, its role as a mirror and window will truly shine.
"The conference, which is to seek the role of the media in addressing climate issues, is truly meaningful and valuable," he noted.
Sharing his view on the issue, Ashraf Aboul-Yazid from Egypt suggested trying to attract more people's attention to climate change issues.
"Journalists must bring examples on how much the global climate issues are related to the pollution of water, the shortage of crops, the cut of roads, the destruction of house, even losing lives due to many global climate disasters," he said.
"A sport game could be cancelled or delayed. A match broadcasting might be disconnected. Billions of fans need to know that they are in the ultimate hands of climate, and a super relationship is really held between the two parties," he explained.
Participants at the conference
Dr. Hassan Humeida from Port of Kiel, Germany, raised concerns over various threats to human lives due to climate change including desertification, water shortages, and hunger.
He suggested that journalism can prioritize the climate issue, bring climate change into focus and write about climate in a facts-driven manner. Journalism should not get into conflicts of interest, be they political, economic or otherwise.
"To help solve this global problem I suggest that there could be a specific time slot where each country would cover the daily news exclusively on climate change so that the global population always receives up to date information," he noted. "This event, tentatively called “The Global Moment” for one planet will help raise attention to the fact that climate change can only be solved if the world unites. Such a daily report could be presented by listening, watching or reading – a literacy method that can motivate and bring people worldwide to the right action."
Lan Cu, a journalist from Vietnam suggested that journalists need to seek support from the government and various organisations to fight against climate change.
"The destruction of forest has been pointed out by environment experts as the main cause of natural disasters in Vietnam," she said. "Meanwhile, many forest destruction cases have been uncovered by reporters before local authorities take action to deal with the problems. In many cases, local officials were found to support and cooperate with loggers to destroy the forests. Illegal loggers have also become more violent. And that means journalists face dangers and need to seek cooperation and support from different forces to do their work."
The World Journalists Conference 2021 saw the attendance of around 60 journalists from 50 countries. The annual event has been organised by the Journalists Association of Korea since 2013. This year, the event was held online from April 18-20 where delegates discussed the role of journalism in the post-Covid era and in global climate issues.