Jamaica Gleaner

St Lucian civil society wants ramped-up news reporting on climate change

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ON THE eve of the start of this year’s global climate talks to be held in Madrid from December 1 to 13, civil society organisati­ons, private-sector stakeholde­rs and members of the public gathered in St Lucia to discuss climate change and the civil society response.

Speaking at the event, Kendel Hippolyte, local award-winning poet and dramatist, issued a passionate call to artists in the region to become more active advocates in support of action to address climate change.

The event also saw the issue of a challenge to regional media to ramp up their climate change news coverage as part of the media’s responsibi­lity to raise awareness on climate change in the Caribbean. This challenge has been issued in a campaign dub bed# caribbean media 4 climate.

Messages were also shared on the current and historical role of civil society groups active on environmen­tal issues in St Lucia. Major emphasis was placed on the need for climate justice in the roll-out of measures to mitigate and also adapt to climate change. Presentati­ons were made on the state of the internatio­nal process and the regional response in the Caribbean.

In addressing a call to action for the Caribbean, Dr James Fletcher, regional climate champion, outlined clear actions that are required at the individual, country and regional levels to advance climate action in St Lucia and the wider Caribbean. Actions already under way by the youth, private corporatio­ns and other organisati­ons, in renewable energy, reforestat­ion, green financing, desalinati­on and solutions for waste management, were also showcased. The presentati­ons were followed by interactiv­e discussion­s and questions from the audience for the presenters. In the course of the discussion, there was a proposal for a similar event to be organised focusing specifical­ly on fostering youth climate activism in St Lucia.

The event was held under the Regional Climate Champions Project, led by Climate Analytics, in collaborat­ion with Panos Caribbean and with the support of Massy Stores, LUCELEC, the First National Bank, Choice Media, the St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Associatio­n, the St Lucia National Trust, the Folk Research Centre, the Caribbean Youth Environmen­t Network and the Optimism Network.

 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? Participan­ts at the call-to-action event, held recently in St Lucia.
CONTRIBUTE­D Participan­ts at the call-to-action event, held recently in St Lucia.
 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? Dr James Fletcher addresses the call-toaction event in St Lucia.
CONTRIBUTE­D Dr James Fletcher addresses the call-toaction event in St Lucia.

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