Academy tasks journalists on climate change reporting
By Biodun Busari
The Nigerian Academy of Science has called on journalists to play a more active role in raising public awareness about climate change, describing the media as a critical partner in protecting public health and promoting climate resilience in the country.
The call was made on Thursday during a media roundtable organised by the academy in Lagos, where scientists and media experts urged greater collaboration in communicating the realities of climate change to Nigerians.
Delivering a keynote address titled, “Climate Change, Health, and the Nigerian Reality: Securing Our Climate Future for a Resilient Nigeria,” former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics and Research) of the University of Lagos, Prof. Babajide Alo, said the conventional media possessed the reach and influence needed to educate citizens on the causes, consequences and solutions to climate change.
He stressed that climate change remained one of the country’s most pressing challenges, with desertification threatening livelihoods in the North, while rising sea levels and coastal erosion continued to endanger communities in the South.
According to Alo, environmental degradation has also contributed to insecurity, citing the shrinking of Lake Chad as one of the factors that fuelled the Boko Haram insurgency and other violent conflicts in the region.
“The journalists and the media should create more public sensitisation and educate citizens on the causes, impacts and solutions to climate change using community language and messaging that people can easily relate to,” he said.
He urged stakeholders to actively involve young people, older citizens and local communities in climate adaptation and mitigation efforts, adding that inclusive participation was essential to building long-term resilience.
Also speaking at the event, veteran journalist and climate communication expert, Wale Fatade, described climate change as a public health crisis rather than merely an environmental issue.
Presenting a paper titled “Reporting Climate Change, Health and the Nigerian Reality,” Fatade noted that the World Health Organisation had identified climate change as the greatest threat to global public health.
He challenged journalists to elevate climate reporting by highlighting its impact on disease outbreaks, food security, nutrition, mental health and access to healthcare.
“The media acts as the critical bridge between complex scientific research and the everyday lives of the general public,” Fatade said.
In her closing remarks, the Public Affairs Secretary of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof. Chinedum Babalola, said the roundtable formed part of the academy’s broader efforts to make scientific knowledge more accessible and relevant to everyday life.
She emphasised that scientific research should not remain confined to academic journals but must inform policymaking, business decisions and public discourse.
“Science must not remain in journals and laboratories. It must speak to policy, to business and to the Nigerian people. And that is why we are here today in partnership with the media. You are the bridge that translates evidence into action,” Babalola said.
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