By Stacy Swaby Programme Officer Panos Caribbean Jamaica

By Stacy Swaby Programme Officer Panos Caribbean (Jamaica) Real People Real Voices Communicating Climate Change

1. Is Climate Change a difficult issue to communicate? • technical jargon 2. Is there still a debate about the ‘credibility of Climate Change’? 3. Is there still a perception that Climate Change is primarily an ‘academic and scientific’ issue? • not a public issue Real People Real Voices QUESTIONS

No matter who you are, layman or scientists, you are experiencing the effects of: • More droughts • More floods • More landslides • sea-level rise • More coral reef damage • More, frequent and intense hurricanes • This reflects the reality of many of our Caribbean people today and Panos Caribbean has been playing its roll in communicating climate change issues to the different audiences in society Real People Real Voices Our Reality is

• Panos Caribbean is a regional non-government organisation that uses information for development. We are based in Haiti with offices in Jamaica and Washington D. C • Panos works with media to communicate sustainable development issues. Our focus areas are health, gender, child rights , media and environment • We work in four languages – English, French, Creole and Spanish Real People Real Voices What is Panos Caribbean

Panos has been working with other partners to communicate climate issues nationally and regionally • Mocho Oral Testimony project on CC (Jamaica) • Voices for Climate Change Education (Jamaica) • Canadian Caribbean Disaster Risk Management Fund (CCDRMF) Project on developing a pilot early warning system for person with disabilities (Jamaica) • Macarthur project on climate change and biodiversity, policy and communities in post earthquake Haiti Real People Real Voices Panos’ Work in Climate Change

• Critical Ecosystem Profile Fund (CEPF)– boosting communication and networking among conservation groups and the media in 11 Caribbean islands • FAO Regional Project - Strengthening community’s preparedness and resilience to natural disasters in select vulnerable areas of Jamaica, Haiti and Dominican Republic (Jamaica) Real People Real Voices Panos’ Work in Climate Change

Under discussion: • Panos is a part of the regional committee set up by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre to communicate climate change issues in the Caribbean over the next five years • Panos also works closely with Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies (CERMES) –under a regional agreement called KARIPANOU. This agreement allows the three entities to pool resources on natural resources management efforts in the Caribbean under which some climate efforts fall. Real People Real Voices Our Work

But how do we communicate this message: • Culture: Drama, Popular performing artistes and music • Media – fellowships and training • Meetings, trainings and workshops • Publications and other mediums such as PSA • Use of Social Media Real People Real Voices How

• A project to educate Jamaicans about climate change and the impact it will have on their lives • The project targets ‘grass roots’ people, sector leaders, and the artistic community. A strategic part of the project has been the use of popular artists to reach a large sector of society that would not otherwise relate or respond to traditional media. Real People Real Voices for Climate Change Education Project

The activities undertaken included a multi-level approach to communicating the message: • Hosting sectoral workshops for the vulnerable sectors (Health, Health and Tourism, Energy and Agriculture) • Developing a media and public education campaign to educate persons (esp. grassroots) • Educating the Artistes on Climate Change Issues so that they become ambassadors for communicating Climate Change Real People Real Voices

• Had 13 parish outreaches with about 1000 persons per parish and over 20 small community events reaching roughly 400 persons per outreach • We have had mini concerts with 36 primary and high schools • Community people and artiste empowered to share regionally and internationally – Devon Brown in Trinidad, Horace Fisher 6 Copenhagen COP, Lloyd Lovindeer – St. Lucia and Rio Real People Real Voices

Real People Real Voices Community Workshops and Training

Real People Real Voices Activities in Schools

Real People Real Voices City Events

• Social Networks (Facebook, You. Tube) • Mainstream media (Television, Radio, Newspaper) • Project Output – PSAs, Songs and Music Videos Real People Real Voices Media Output

Real People Real Voices Our Funders and Partners

• Remember to include the communication package when writing those proposals • Avoid the over use of scientific terms. You may use it in some instances but regulate the level of usage based on target audience. • Make use of audio visual aid (with little or no text) for presenting on Climate Change and climate issues • Show linkages between the issue or concept you are trying to communicate with ground level basic issues that impact directly on individuals to really send home the message. • Appeal to the "economic man" by resisting the "tree hugging" approach which dwells on protecting the environment at all cost without considering the economic issues. People will not respond to climate change issues at the community and local level if they are not seeing how it affects their economic being. Real People Real Voices Conclusion and Recommendation

Thank You Please like us on Facebook • http: //www. facebook. com/pages/Panos-caribbean Check for the Music Video on You. Tube • Voices for Climate Change Education • www. panoscaribbean. org Real People Real Voices • http: //www. facebook. com/pages/Voices-for-Climate. Change-Education