Communicating Climate Change
to Local Communities
Etuati Ropeti
Why?????
• Raise awareness of CC implications that assist
with the decision making in building resilience
• Community play a vital role in implementing
adaptation and disaster risk reduction
strategies
• Influence national policies
• Traditional knowledge to be integrated into
scientific research for effective adaptation
strategies
• Support for local adaptation activities
Tools and techniques for
communicating CC
• Planning
– Target audiences
– How the message is
delivered
– Short-term
– Long-term
– Costs
– Coverage
• Workshops
– Village level
– School/teachers
program
– Church/youth programs
– Village mayors meetings
– Women representatives
meetings
Tools and techniques for
communicating CC
• Videos
– Marine environment
awareness programs
– Languages
– Context
• Practical alternatives
• Simple information
• Research results
• Information sheets
– Variety of topics
– Understanding of the
marine environment eg.
healthy marine
environment and well
managed fishery stands
better chances of
survival under a
changing environment
Tools and techniques for
communicating CC
• Printed materials
– Articles
– Advertisements/news
papers
• Media releases
– Newsworthy
– Photographs
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Poster Competition
Poem competition
Open Days
School Quizzes
Talkback shows
Characteristics of different media
RADIO
TV
• Sound only
• Momentary
• Immediate – on the spot
reports easy with mobile
phones
• Broad coverage
• Listeners turned off if bored
• Cheap to produce
• Easy to produce in multiple
languages
• Portable
• Often personal and informal
• Most understand spoken
language well
• Good for music and
entertainment
• Both visual and sound
• Momentary
• On the spot reports possible
if equipment is available
• Holds attention well
• Language skills not so
important
• Expensive to produce
• Expensive to buy
• Limited local programming
• Local programmes are
popular
• May only reach urban areas
PRINT
• Visual only
• Can’t report instantly
• Circulation limited
geographically
• Good for complex or
detailed information
• Can be read several times;
can refer back
• More formal than radio
• Readers scan articles and
choose what to read
Using Technology (email, websites, social
networking)
Some tips for communicating CC
• Understanding the issues and concepts
before communicating to others
– Better able to explain
• Build on people’s knowledge base and
experience
• Plain language
Some tips for communicating CC
• Clear, accurate and simple message with local
examples
– Impacts on livelihood
– Food security
– Safety at sea
– Diseases
– Building resilience through managing the marine
ecosystem
• Connect with current events
Some tips for communicating CC
• Link CC with environmental and social issues
– High dependence on fish products for protein
– Low capacity to adapt to change due to
comparatively small or weak economies
– Social, cultural and traditional aspects limit
people’s adaptive capacity i.e. caste, religion
– Environmental changes affect people differently
and through interactions with social factors
Some tips for communicating CC
• Doable and realistic
– Anticipate and respond to change
– Minimize and recover from the consequences of
change
– Take advantage of new opportunities arising from
change
Some tips for communicating CC
• Build on from
existing CBFM,
CEAFM, CBRM
initiatives and
processes
Moving forward
• Communication plan
• Culture/Traditional protocols and
knowledge
• One Team Approach
– Government of Fiji Concept of “One Centre,
One Product
• Resource sharing/Implementation
Vinaka