Seven tips on how to cover COP27 so that someone cares to follow
In the first half of November 22 world leaders will meet in Egypt for COP27. The annual meeting where world leaders agree what they each want to do to fight the climate crisis. Perhaps the last meeting where the possibility of aiming for the 1.5 celsius degree increase is actually discussed.
This year, the leaders gather against a backdrop of war in Europe, Covid-19 and inflation that is not under control. But at the same time, it is now that the big decisions have to be made. According to the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, it is now or never if we are to have even the smallest chance of keeping temperature increases below 1.5 degrees.
Nevertheless, virtually all media report that it is difficult to raise people’s attention to climate journalism. When you have to choose between covering everyday rising prices in the local supermarket or global climate change, the local is far easier to make interesting. But the climate stories must be told if we as a society are to be able to make decisions about how to adapt our reality to the new framework the climate sets for our lives.
In recent months we have seen a climate disaster in Pakistan where more than 1000 died and more than ten million were forced to flee their homes due to floods, while millions are starving at the Horn of Africa due to drought. School children in India are being sent home from school these days because the air pollution is too high. The consequences of climate change are here. The most obvious ones are just far away from us in Europe.
Therefore, climate change does not seem as concrete to us in Europe as the rising prices and the war close by. But if we are to put a stop to the major upheaval of our lives due to the climate, we must act now. This is the unanimous opinion of the world’s researchers.
They say that we have a small theoretical possibility of still managing to keep temperature increases to around 1.5 degrees. But it will require a huge upheaval, which few people believe in, namely a halving of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and a complete stop to emissions in 2050. But even the UN climate panel, which traditionally has a positive approach to future scenarios, does not believe in that development. If we continue as we are now, we are aiming for an increase in the average temperature of 2.8 degrees. — And we really don’t want that.
So how do we cover COP27?
Covering Climate Now is an organization that works to help journalists cover the climate agenda as best as possible. Among other things, they have collected this concrete advice on how to cover something as boring as a UN meeting in Africa in a relevant and relevant way.
They point out, of course, that there is a big difference whether you are a large media such as The Guardian, which has many skilled climate journalists dedicated to the climate agenda in general and at this time to COP27 specifically, or whether you are a small local media that could never imagine spending resources to go to a meeting in Africa.
For both big and small media here are seven tips when covering the climate crisis:
1. Make your stories local/national
Although COP27 and the climate agenda are generally global, there are almost always local consequences to be taken as a starting point. It can be local companies that are affected, it can be local areas that can concretely feel the generally more severe weather or the like.
There is an enormous amount of work behind this story from NRK, but it can still inspire less demanding stories that make global topics local: https://www.nrk.no/klima/kommune/0301
2. Focus on people
As with all other journalism, good cases that you can reflect on are central to succeeding with the good story. Look for and find one that fits your target audience. If your target group is business people, then find a business owner who is affected, if your target group is school teachers, then address, for example, how to handle climate anxiety among children and young people. If your target group is geographically defined, then take on a local case that is going to COP27, or has previously been there. Etc. Etc. There are plenty of local people you can link to the climate agenda.
For example, invite your audience to ask questions, which you can then answer under the format: “A reader gets an answer”.
3. Explain what COP27 is
Make understandable explainers. — Use the form to make the difficult and complicated easy to understand.
Be inspired here: https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/cop27-conversations-watch-climate-summit-2022-10-31/
Or you can make a quiz that your audience can play to gain knowledge.See how the Financial Times has made a strong entrance to COP27 here: https://www.ft.com/climate-capital
And see their Climate Game here: https://ig.ft.com/climate-game/
4. Explain what the individual can do
Put climate change in a concrete context with the life your audience lives and show what the individual can concretely do to help fight the climate crisis.
You may be inspired by the Council for a green transition, which recommends, for example, three specific changes in an ordinary family that will make a difference.
Three pieces of advice for ordinary families:
From petrol car to electric car
From beef to chicken
From new purchase to recycling
The BBC is behind the series People fixing the world. It is a series based on ordinary people making a difference. Be inspired here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04d42vf
5. Visualize your story
One of the things we talk about again and again in connection with climate journalism is how we visualize the stories. Fortunately, there is someone who has good suggestions for that.
For example, the organization Climate Visuals has collected a number of beautiful and thought-provoking images that the media can freely use. The pictures that visualize this story are taken from there. You can see them and many more here: https://climatevisuals.org/groupitem/103/
6. Stick to the story
Keep covering COP27 and the climate stuff. Find new angles and entrances that can drive the story. In this way, you can equip your audience with more knowledge and thereby arouse an interest and understanding of the subject.
7. Create hope
Although it is difficult not to become both scared and depressed when you read up on climate research, it is also crucial to show that there is a way forward. Alternatively, we risk that the reaction when you have read/seen/heard climate journalism is simply apathy.
One way to create hope is to show who is doing something to alleviate the problems, what is actually succeeding and generally to give people options for action.
For example, use some of these climate initiatives that work in your story to show that after all there is hope ahead if we want to: https://www.nrk.no/urix/12-klima--og-miljoframskritt -which-can-give-you-hap-1.14848200
Be inspired to give “fact-based hope here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/04/12/climate-news-is-relentlessly-objectively-grim-should-we-ever-allow -ourselves-feel-optimism/
See more here: https://coveringclimatenow.org/resource/how-to-cover-cop27/
If you want to learn more about this approach to climate change reach out or join my course in engaging and constructive climate — journalism:
https://mediernesefteruddannelse.dk/kurser/konstruktiv-og-engagerende-klimajournalistik/
