Media Action Insight Blog Feed

On the front lines of the climate emergency, information is a critical defence

2019-06-05T10:22:08+00:00

In a time when people have begun to talk about Earth’s climate emergency, it is understood that climate change is already happening: in the countries in which �鶹Լ�� Media Action works, our communities are already experiencing increasing and increasingly powerful droughts, flooding and extreme weather. The poorest people are the ones who feel the impact of this increasingly variable weather most, and who find it hardest to recover.

Helping people cope with these changes is an even more important part of our work. Small actions can make an enormous difference in each family’s ability to survive extreme weather and better protect their homes and livelihoods.

Our work across Asia builds on the evidence collected in our seven-country, 33,000 people research study, Climate Asia, which helped us understand how our audiences are responding to the impacts of climate change, and what role communication can play in improving their lives.

A Cambodian family we supported to build a new fresh water collection system on their roof, as part of our climate TV show Don't Wait For Rain

In Bangladesh, we found that while people are aware of the increasing frequency and severity of changes in the weather, they did not know how to respond. Measures such as diversifying crops, storing food and water for use in an emergency, working together to improve local infrastructure and finding new and more diverse ways of earning income are all steps which communities can take to help protect themselves.

This is where communication for development is at its most valuable: encouraging communities to work together to improve their preparedness for extreme weather events, and to improve their economic wellbeing.

We have now completed three series of a major reality television show aimed at doing just this. Amrai Pari (Together We Can Do It) visited communities in the most susceptible areas of the country as they work with their neighbours and, in some cases, with local government disaster management committees, to strengthen storm defences in fishing areas, make cyclone shelters child-friendly, grow new resilient crops or start new businesses. In this way, the programme inspired and informed people, providing an opportunity for communities to share their knowledge and work together to create something vital for their welfare and livelihood. Encouragingly, it has been equally popular amongst women and men across all three series.

Our research shows that it works: 78% of the audience of Amrai Pari felt it improved their understanding of how to cope with weather-related changes. Some 47% of Amrai Pari viewers said they had taken action as a result of watching the programme.

Further analysis has demonstrated that exposure to Amrai Pari was associated with increased self-confidence to take action, increased awareness of risk, increased knowledge, and an increase in talking with others about taking action. People who regularly watched Amrai Pari or saw associated public service announcements were more likely to take action than those who didn’t.

Building sturdy bridges in Bangladesh as part of our show, Amrai Pari

In Cambodia, our audiences are already experiencing the impacts of changes in the weather and the environment, particularly on their health and income. Eighty-one percent of respondents to our recent Cambodia Climate Asia survey feel these changes have affected their ability to earn money. With most people’s livelihoods dependent on land, it is concerning that half of those surveyed feel that agricultural production has decreased over the last decade, and three-quarters think the number of fish has declined.

Our climate TV show, Don’t Wait for Rain, is aimed at the audiences in Cambodia who are most vulnerable to climate change. The series showcases easily replicable and affordable techniques that people can use to protect themselves against the effects of extreme weather, such as flooding and drought. It also explores the reasons that may prevent people from planning for extreme weather in the first place, such as financial worries or a lack of confidence in trying something new.

In our survey, 37% of respondents said that they weren’t responding to climate change out of fear of discussing their actions with others, and 35% said that it didn’t fit with their religious beliefs or community culture.

We knew that building trust would be key in helping people adapt to new techniques, and that audiences would need to see people they could relate to in the show adapting these new techniques successfully to be encouraged to try it out for themselves. That’s why in each episode we pair up an ‘impact’ community struggling to cope with weather with local experts who have overcome climate challenges.

Interviewing a Cambodian woman who lost her father due to flash flooding

We are proud to say the show just won an award for “Best TV Feature on Climate Change” at the 4th Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Media Awards on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction.

Our work extends beyond creating engaging, creative content and programmes to inform, educate and inspire our audiences. We also work with a range of civil society organisations and broadcast media partner organisations, to improve their understanding of the important role of media and communication in ensuring people can take effective action – both on their own and collectively.

For communities and countries already on the front lines of the global climate emergency, information, connections and innovation are all essential elements in helping prepare for disaster, and improving their ability to recover.

A Cambodian family with their newly constructed storm house, featured on Don't Wait For Rain

Training the next generation of risk communication professionals

2018-07-02T13:00:00+00:00

We need to support the next generation of risk management researchers and professionals to broaden their understanding about risk communication. Many of them are working in silos within their own disciplines and need opportunities to think about how scientific information can be communicated to those who need it most.

So, together with a team of young professionals at the Water Youth Network and a host of supporting organisations - GFDRR, NERC, FM Global, and NASA - I led the development of a 24-hour Interdisciplinary Pressure Cooker event on risk communication at the Understanding Risk Conference in Mexico City. We wanted to push the boundaries of young professionals and researchers and challenged them to work together in interdisciplinary teams to devise risk communication solutions for real-life case studies in Mexico.

Once we selected the lucky 35 participants to join the event, we had the difficult task of devising a risk communication challenge that they could complete in 24 hours. Given the unique nature of the event, it sparked huge interest from a range of organisations. Before we knew it, we had support from risk communication specialists all over the world including the UK Environment Agency, �鶹Լ�� Media Action, British Geological Survey, Rural Livelihood Risk Management Consulting, Resurgence, and Universities of Plymouth and Reading. A few teleconference calls later, themes emerged on how to frame the risk communication challenges for our two case studies – urban flooding, subsidence and resettlement challenges in Iztapalapa Mexico City and coastal flooding and environmental degradation in Dzilam de Bravo Yucatan in Mexico.

Firstly, we wanted to encourage the participants to really focus on the importance of understanding the audience by conducting an audience analysis. We wanted to provide them with as much local knowledge as possible to do this effectively but we struggled to find information on psychographics of the population in the case studies. Instead we decided to conduct interviews with local people to give the participants insights into how different people think about risk.

Secondly, we wanted to emphasise the importance of identifying the expected change the risk communication output would actually lead to. This could be changes in the way the audience, think, feel or behave in relation to the risks they are exposed to. For example, would the communication strategy change people's knowledge (understanding the likelihood of a hazard), attitudes (willingness to take risk seriously), or practices (having an emergency kit at home)?

We recognised it would be hard to really identify the impact in such a short amount of time without fieldwork and assessments with the communities at risk so instead we brought in specialists with lots of experience of working with the communities in the case study areas to provide feedback to the teams about their approaches throughout the day.

During the event the teams really engaged with the challenge to think about their target audience and felt the connection between their risk communication solutions and how this would influence their target groups. One participant, Eduardo, a Civil Engineering student from Mexico, found that the most challenging thing about the event was “picturing the people we were talking about in the study case, so we never forgot that even though it was an hypothetical challenge, it was real people.” The information videos and case study specialists were vitally important for the teams.

The team working on a challenge related to subsidence in Iztapalapa conducted their audience profiling exercise to understand the motivations, drivers, routines, constraints and vulnerabilities of a representative young mother, called Rosa. Their solution ‘‘The Rosa Project” focused on training vulnerable women, like Rosa, to transform them into agents of change in their community.

Upon reflection after the event, time constraints meant that the teams did spend a lot of time thinking about the audience and less time detailing the specific elements of their risk communication solution. Ideally with more time both could have been achieved.

The day after the event we brought the participants to visit the Iztapalapa case study and talk to a resident. The participants really enjoyed this experience and were already thinking about how to tailor their solutions based on this new insight.

Overall the challenge was very successful in highlighting the importance of keeping people at the heart of everything that is done in relation to risk communication. It was a huge learning point for participants who have never done this kind of exercise before. For example, Tyler a PhD candidate from New Zealand indicated that after the event he “will spend more time thinking from the user perspective and returning to the user personas.”

I’m really looking forward to supporting more events like this with the Water Youth Network and learning about others’ experiences of risk communication.

Lydia Lydia Cumiskey is the Disaster Risk Reduction Team Coordinator for Water Youth Network

Three ways of communicating to stop disasters happening

2017-05-12T09:02:19+00:00

This past March, Peru was hit by devastating floods. Media reports led with death tolls and declarations of states of emergency. People volunteered their help on Facebook and offered refuge in their homes to those seeking shelter on Airbnb.

News coverage builds awareness of crises, drums up donations and connects the needy with people who can help. But are we leveraging the full potential of media and communication to stop disasters happening in the first place?

I’d argue that we could save more lives and livelihoods by going to greater lengths to communicate with people at risk before rather than after disaster strikes. The forewarned are forearmed after all; they can reinforce their homes, stock up on supplies and get to safer places.

In recognition of how preparations can save lives, early warning systems – across multiple types of hazards – will be a key feature of the upcoming Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. Organised by the Mexican government and my organisation, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), the conference will take place in Cancún, Mexico from May 22nd to 26th.

Recent years have seen some impressive improvements in the equipment used to detect pending disasters: weather satellites, flood water gauges and thermometers to measure sea surface temperatures. And technological advances in communication mean it’s easier to alert people than ever before.

But all these technical advancements count for little if they’re not backed up by money. But given the pressure on both governments and the public to focus on immediately pressing demands, convincing them to invest limited funds in preparing for disasters won’t be easy. Meeting this challenge will require convincing them of how costly disasters can be, as well as the risk of their happening – not easy cases to make.

These advancements also won’t amount to much if they don’t spur populations-at-large to break with their routines and get ready for serious events to strike. Bangladesh, India and the Philippines are just some of the countries taking this point increasingly seriously. Through working to improve public understanding of storm risks, they’ve helped ensure that weather forecasts lead to timely and efficient evacuations, with millions moved to safe areas, resulting in far fewer casualties.

Fortunately, these kinds of successes are replicable. Here are three ways of communicating to lay the groundwork for warning people about disasters before they happen:

1. Be engaging

Disaster risk reduction can come across as a daunting subject, with ordinary people switching off when they hear an acronym like DRR discussed in a dry, academic or alarmist way. But in an age of information overload, we need to entertain and engage people while helping them make decisions about how to prepare for disasters.

For example, 75% of urban residents in Costa Rica, Mexico and Colombia wouldn’t leave their pets behind during an evacuation – even if they only had five minutes – potentially endangering themselves and others. Clearly, people really love their dogs and cats.

Showcasing the effectiveness of engaging people with DRR through the issues they care about, World Animal Protection made a television spot (Spanish with English subtitles) off the back of this research which encouraged people to have emergency plans for the whole family – including their pets.

In the long run, making DRR content engaging will increase people’s confidence and motivation to: reduce risks, prepare for an emergency and respond when things start to get serious.

2. Respect that people have many pressing concerns

Poor people in low-income countries often juggle pressing priorities and have only limited options open to them. They‘re often forced to live in unsafe areas – like flood plains, unstable hillsides, and exposed coastlines – because there’s nowhere else they can afford to go. To take just one example, many of Metro Manila's four million-strong urban poor population live alongside waterways, where they’re especially vulnerable when typhoons strike.

Economic pressures often force people to make decisions to ensure their immediate survival at the possible expense of their livelihoods ten years down the line. A recent deadly mudslide in Mocao in Colombia was likely made more ruinous by deforestation fuelled by the search for arable land.

To successfully develop a culture of preparedness in everyday life, the DRR community needs to communicate with people about what’s immediately important to them and present realistic ways of reducing the risks they face.

3. Build understanding and trust

One of the strongest storms to ever make landfall, Typhoon Haiyan claimed well over 6,000 lives in the Philippines. Through conducting interviews in the storm’s aftermath, UNISDR uncovered a number of fatal misunderstandings about how Haiyan would unfold.

We discovered that many poor migrants and fishermen died in their shacks because they thought that evacuation meant eviction. Others mistakenly thought that their concrete homes were secure enough to withstand the storm.

Jerry Yoakasin, Vice Mayor of Tacloban, the worst-affected city in the country, has said that people didn’t understand what a ‘storm surge’ was. Defined as a sudden and abnormal rise in sea water levels, Haiyan's storm surge swept ships at sea inland, where they crushed homes.

Yoakasin believes lives were lost because storm surges weren't explained to people in ways they understood by those they trusted. His advice is just as relevant now.

The media can play an important role in breaking down complex issues for their audiences. This can drive public understanding of things like weather forecasting, helping shore up trust in early warning alerts. Closer relationships between the media, experts and government officials are essential to take full advantage of this potential.

Across all of these three areas – facilitating engagement, reflecting the difficult realities of people’s lives and building trust – media and communication have a vital role to play. When communication about disasters is attention-grabbing and relates to people’s experiences, people will actually sit up, take notice and prepare for hazards coming their way.

Robert Glasser is Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and is head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). He tweets as @RobertGlasserUN.

The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction conference will take place in Cancún, Mexico from May 22^nd to 26^th.

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