“We need to explain to people how it affects them in their daily lives.”

How to communicate the climate and environmental crisis? On the premise that “interaction between journalism and science is always necessary”, Rafael Moyano, Director of Education Editorial Unit School (ESUE), recently opened the 10th Environmental Journalism Conference held in Madrid, which brought together a dozen experts sponsored by Inditex, including leading journalists and distinguished scientists in the fields of environment, science and health.

“Researchers realized in 2015 that we had reached projections for 2050.” With this data he explained the acceleration of climate change, Jaime Martinez-Urdasa, Researcher in the Department of Genetics and Microbiology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

A consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) recalled that media coverage of climate change around the world has experienced two peaks in recent years: the first, after a computer attack at the University of East Anglia (United Kingdom) in 2009, which created a major blackout. Misinformation and the second, with Donald Trump’s visit to the White House: “The impact of Trump’s climate change policy is dire. “All the laws in the system were paralyzed,” recalls the scientist, who is part of the global initiative. Lancet Countdown.

pointed out Teresa GuerreroModerator and head of science at El Mundo, “2023 is a year full of extreme weather events across the planet, occupying a lot of space in the environmental information media”, which in turn favors the proliferation of misinformation on these matters. But despite mounting evidence of the impact of climate change, Carlos Fresneda, Correspondent in London and El Mundo’s environment correspondent expressed his concern about “climate apathy” and the backsliding on climate action by some governments, especially the United Kingdom, just a month before the start of the summit on climate change (COP28). )

Studies reflect increasing public concern about environmental issues. Thus, as Martínez-Urdasa points out, “81% of Spaniards support introducing tougher policies against climate change”According to the European Investment Bank in 2021. But Eva GonzalezAn environmental journalist from the Europa Press agency, in an informed view, might say, “These problems should not be solved from data. A headline ‘.We increased the temperature by 0.1 degree, But what does that mean? “It refers to the impact on crops, water bodies…we need to explain how these topics affect people in their daily lives.”

Journalist Miguel Angel Ruiz ParraThe newspaper’s environmental information chief true (Murcia), he focused on challenges while reporting on some of the topics he covered in his region, such as extensive crops in rural areas of Cartagena and the impact of international investment funds. “In addition to the damage done to Mar Manor, big business has financed the purchase of information spaces for their own benefit and the publication of reports far removed from scientific studies,” he denounced.

For its part, Juan Carlos del Olmo, WWF’s General Secretary in Spain, advocated the need to change the energy and agri-food model, which he believes is responsible for biodiversity loss. “Agriculture and animal husbandry enjoy public esteem, but these two traditionally practiced sectors are disappearing in favor of forest industrialization.” The environmentalist cited the case of Tonana as an example, a protected environment subject to overexploitation of its watersheds, and until recently wanted to add more than a thousand new hectares of irrigated land to “win votes in the area”.

Considering all these difficulties, creating a fluid and reliable relationship between the media and the scientific community to disseminate environmental issues, without falling into a catastrophic view, taking into account that science is infallible: ” “Science is a conversation, does not produce absolute truths, the decision taken today contradicts tomorrow,” He noted that. Bamba Garcia MolinaDirector of the Science Media Center Spain (SMC), a platform that provides journalists with verified scientific information on topics that generate social controversy.

Since the pandemic, citizens have grown interested in learning about the impact of the health of the planet on human health, which Garcia emphasized is a golden opportunity to change the conversation in the media. “We have results-oriented science journalism that tells a result, but we don’t tell how the science is done,” he said.

He further informed Manuel FrancoEpidemiologist at Alcalá de Henares and Johns Hopkins Universities and spokesperson for the Spanish Society of Public Health and Health Management (CESPAS). ‘Bad science‘, That is, one dedicated to denying the effects of tobacco, alcohol, or heat waves on human mortality.

For Franco, the aim should be to communicate the evidence of climate change convincingly so that it is translated into political and citizen decisions in favor of knowledge. In his view, this goal represents following the recommendations of Anthony Fauci, a microbiologist and former director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.TheThe basics of communicating well are using simple language, providing data, and saying no if you’re not right.“.

They consult the relationship between journalists and experts as evidence for their articles, Pilar PerezHead of Health Division the worldIt highlights that the scientific community has moved from a “paternalistic attitude” to the value of selecting, editing, and focusing on environmental and health information in search of high-quality content.

Now, when faced with the question of how to protect the planet and our own lives, the experts who participated in the third discussion table highlighted the two concepts of responsibility and trust. “Unlike now, the power of humans over nature and the environment is much greater,” he said. Agustin Domingo Moratalla, President of European Business Ethics.

Elected Professor of Moral and Political Philosophy at the University of Valencia and Professor at ESUE. Creating a Code of Accountability Environmental impacts are not limited by regulations or taxes, but rather start from the social life plan.

In the same way, professor, writer and researcher Haig Freire “He expressed the need to create another narrative about humans, because we don’t always harm the earth. We need to be empowered and move from guilt to feeling capable.”