PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA — The United Nations environmental agency UNESCO is calling for more studies and closer working relations between journalists and scientists to ensure the effects of climate change are understood and can be mitigated, especially in poorer African countries, which more acutely feel the pinch of extreme weather events.

On Tuesday, scientists gathered in Pretoria, South Africa, to discuss climate change with journalists from the Southern Africa Development Community region.

Meeting under the theme “Building Science Communication Capacity in the SADC Region,” the journalists were asked to report more often on climate change to ensure people are prepared before disasters such as floods and droughts.

In an interview with VOA, Martiale Zebaze-Kana, head of the science unit of UNESCO in southern Africa, said more awareness of climate change and studies into how communities can adapt to it are crucial.

“I think we should focus essentially on really building in the capacity around the whole climate-related issues,” said Zebaze-Kana. “And for us, in terms of mitigation also.”

Zebaze-Kana also said it is important to look at what’s happening in a region, to build resilience and to watch for early warning signs across the SADC region.

After being hit by El Nino-induced drought, Southern Africa is experiencing its worst food insecurity in years. Millions of people across several countries are dependent on food handouts from aid organizations.

Sosten Chiotha, the director of a nongovernmental organization called Leadership for Environment and Development Southern and Eastern Africa, said he wants developing countries to do more climate adaptation studies because developing countries experience the worst effects of global warming.

“Climate change amplifies existing vulnerabilities,” said Chiotha. “So, you have poor that are poor, it means their infrastructure is not going to stand storms of speeds. In Malawi, winds of 70 to 80 kilometers were strong enough to blow off houses. But in places where they receive tornadoes frequently — they have been receiving them for a long time — the buildings will withstand that kind of [speed]. So, it’s a question of changing the way we do things, constructing our roads, make sure we have [proper] drainage. Also, people where they are staying — should not stay in flood-prone areas. So, all these things are what need to be done.”

Charles Chikunda, UNESCO’s officer for climate education, said it’s also important that children learn how to deal with a changing environment.

“In fact, we should start to teach everything that we went from an early age,” said Chikunda. “Let’s not wait for children to go to university. We want them to start thinking about their issues at an early age, how to solve them.”

Chikunda added that some countries in the SADC region, such as Lesotho and Zimbabwe, have already started infusing climate change into their curriculum.
…