…Media sensitized on the topic
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - STARTLING statistics from a review of the population of St. Kitts and Nevis has shown that many people do not fully understand what is meant by Climate Change and its possible impact on them and generations to come.
The finding was released during a one-day sensitization workshop for media practitioners on the topic of Climate Change by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) along with the Ministry of Environment and Cooperative Climate Change.
For quite some time and on a regular basis, this growing phenomenon has been written on and discussed within the international sphere and to an extent by some media entities in the region, including by SKNVibes.
However, even though that was done, many people indicated that they had heard the term being used but do not completely understand what it means and its total impact.
This goes for media personnel as well, who are supposed to be educating the population. But with support from the European Union’s Global Climate Challenge Alliance Plus Initiative “Time is Running Out Climate Literacy Campaign”, the regional agency is working to educate media personnel in St. Kitts and Nevis and several others on Climate Change and how they could tell the stories to the public as part of a 12-month initiative
That comes following a survey which was conducted in the 2021, which showed that more than half of the population have heard of the term but do not register themselves to understanding it.
“According to the data we have, we’d say about 60 percent to 61 percent of people have heard the term. Less than that have a basic understanding of the term or a general understanding of the term. But, according to the survey, the general population doesn’t understand the term well. They don’t take any personal responsibility for Climate Change,” Tecla Fontenard,Communications Specialist at CCCCC told reporters during the workshop.
It was further revealed that some of those in the population said they do not understand what they are supposed to do, while others said they do not know which agencies are working in Climate Change.
Climate Change has long been a hot button topic internationally, with there being many discussions surrounding the issues plaguing Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like St. Kitts and Nevis.
Many are familiar with the ‘1.5 to survive’ theme that speaks to the shift in temperature.
Just recently there were discussions at COP 27 in Egypt surrounding the establishment of the lost and damage funds that would see large developed countries, such as China, the United States and others, involved in Carbon Emission contribute to help affected countries.
Countries like St. Kitts and Nevis and those in the Caribbean continue to be on the frontline of the issues surrounding Climate Change, as they have been struck by powerful hurricanes, inconsistent weather patterns and frequent storms.
In the Federation, the Ministry of Environment is working to educate the public on Climate Change through innovative ways.
The Ministry of Education is also expected to get involved in crafting strategies to educate schoolchildren on the topic.
June Hughes, Director in the Department of the Environment, told reporters that they are working to bring more awareness to the topic and the possible impacts of it on the people of St. Kitts and Nevis..
She explained that the Government agency would seek to highlight “what we can do, what actions we can take to mitigate those impacts and what we can do ahead of time”.
Meanwhile, adaptation to the possible impacts is another area that the Ministry will be focusing on. But the survey has highlighted that a lot more attention is needed in the Federation on Climate Change, especially now that the country is preparing to head into the June-November Hurricane Season.
