Finalists named for Africa-wide Climate Change and Environmental Reporting Awards

Ten finalists have been named for the First African Climate Change and Environment Reporting Awards (ACCER), scheduled for Nairobi, Kenya on June 5, 2013.

The list showed Luv Fm’s Kofi Adu Domfeh emerging finalists among the broadcast entries of the Africa-wide competition, which was dominated by climate change and environment reporters from Kenya.

The Award is organized by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) in liaison with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), and supported by Christian Aid, Oxfam Novib, SIDA, Finn Church Aid, Diakonia, and BrandKenya Board.

All major scientific reports continue to show that Africa would be most affected by the impacts of Climate Change – a major environmental and sustainable development problem that requires global solutions. But since it is also a local phenomenon, interventions to cope with its impacts require the engagement of stakeholders at national and local levels.

The main objective of the ACCER Awards is to recognize African journalists who excel in environmental journalism.

“It is expected that this kind of initiative will encourage constructive environmental focus in the African media, both at policy and policy implementation level and at the level of public awareness and participation in environmental protection and protection”, said a statement from PACJA.

The first competition covered stories reported during the period January 2012 to March 2013. The judges received a total of 112 entries in print media, radio and television from across Africa in both English and French versions.

The list of nominees released by the team of judges showed entries talking about farmers finding cheap environmentally friendly alternative to fertilizers in waste products and articles that linked challenges of reproductive health, nutrition and climate change topped Kenyan reporters from the print media.

Domfeh’s radio piece focused on the role of community radio in helping local people mitigate the impact of climate change.

Announcing the Award Finalists, PACJA Secretary-General, Mithika Mwenda noted that “to prevent a global average temperature rise of two degree Celsius and ensure right to sustainable development, new and stringent regulatory framework, laws, policies and reforms are needed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, promote low carbon development pathways and support social, economic and legal transition to address climate change in particular and environmental downturn in general”.

According to him, the overall intention of ACCER is not only to reshape the African narrative as espoused in Climate Change and environment debates but also to build a new culture that Africans can consciously utilize their abundant biological resources while at the same time reduce carbon footprint.

The winners will be announced in an Award Gala Night before international audience in Nairobi, Kenya, during the World Environment Day on 5 June – the choice of Kenya is symbolic as the country hosts the environment-specialized Agency of the United Nations, UNEP, the only Agency in a Developing country.