Environmental Communication for Cleaner Air Elements of a Proposed Strategy for Malaysia Better Air

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Environmental Communication for Cleaner Air -
Elements of a Proposed Strategy for
MalaysiaBetter Air Quality 2004 6 8 December
2004, Agra/IndiaRoland Haas (GTZ)
roland.haas_at_gtz.de
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How to communicate the issue to the public?

• Develop a Environmental Communication Strategy
• which covers at least
• The public perception of the Environment
  Protection Agency
• (The Agency protects the well-being and lives of
  people)
• The image of environmental protection
• (Those who help in protecting the environment
  also support our social and economic
  development)
• Public awareness raising among all groups of
  people and for all individuals
• (It is also my behaviour which counts)

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The Project The Partners
Department of Environment (DoE) Putrajaya
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische
Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH Eschborn/Germany -
German Technical Cooperation -
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• The GTZ The German Technical Cooperation Agency

• ... owned by the Federal Republic of Germany

• ... operating as a private sector enterprise with
  
• development policy mandate

• ... major clients
• German Federal Ministry for Economic
  Cooperation
• and Development, other German ministries,
  other
• Governments, EU, World Bank and others

• ... 2,700 projects in more than 130 countries

• ... 10,000 employees among those some 1,000 in
  Head Office

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Emission Standards
Social Communication Participation
Fuel Quality
Urban Development
DoE and other institutions responsible for air
quality are implementing measures for air
pollution control
Business Contacts
PROJECT OBJECTIVE
Inter-institutional cooperation
Data Quality Scientific Base
International Cooperation
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Why communicate environmental issues to the
public?

• Awareness raising
• Change of behaviour
• Create public support
• Understanding for painful immediate measures
• Create understanding for the benefits of
  preventive measures against curative action
• Respect the public!

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• How to communicate the environmental issue to
  the public?

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Fuel quality
Transport
Air pollution prevention control plan
Comprises...
Industry services
Urban development
Measures to control sectors, causes
and sources of pollution
Monitor reception, reactions social behavior
changes
Evaluate social participation pro-environmental
results. Improve messages, media and social
organization.
Define...
Target audiences for information educational
campaigns
Design and prepare campaign information,
materials and sequence of events. Also
institutional response capacity
Analyze in focus groups
Quantify perceptions Estimate responses
Opinions perceptions
Feedback
Potential messages understanding, reception
and acceptance
Learn...
W/ polls
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Some Examples from a Poll in Santiago/Chile in
2000

• Air Quality ranks high in the perception of the
  public.
• 1995 - 2000 Air Quality significantly improved,
  however
• 60 of the population air quality has worsened
• 30 of the population air quality has remained
  the same
• 90 believe nothing has changed or it is
  worse!
• 60 of the population air quality will get worse
  in future
• BUT
• Authorities thought the public would know
• and acknowledge the achievements!!!

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Educational target groups
Media to use
High political figures decision makers,
Federal State Governments. MPs, parliament
committee presidents etc
Personal attention, brief individualized reports,
media covered events.
Private sector (industry, commerce,
transportation, fuels, services, etc.)
Conferences technical Reports, magazine and
newspapers articles.
Special groups. TV radio anchors,
press editors, field reporters, ecologists,
religions Leaders, famous people, public opinion
leaders
Personal attention, easy to understand reports.
General public, drivers, housewives, workers,
students, employees, etc.
Brief messages radio/TV, music sports
events, famous people support.
Formal education system, authorities, teachers,
book editors.
Printed and audio-visual Materials, easy to grasp
reports, events.
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Population groups and their information sources?
How to improve their environmental knowlege?
General population 90 from TV
Educate TV anchormen and TV editorial writers
Executives and officials (less than 10 of
population) TV and newspapers
Educate TV anchormen and newpapers editorial
writers
Environmentalists (0.5 of total population)
fromTV, newspapers and many others
Direct and permanent contact feed them ample
information
Government evironmental officials all national
and international sources
Implement workshops to plan common goals and
share knowledge and information
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Tools for public opinion research...
Individual or small group obtain qualified
opinions
Interviews
Explore how opinions form and change
Focus groups
Classify and quantify opinions
Polls
Allow you to tailor a specific and effective
message
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Perceptions of Problems by the Public
Reactions of the Public
Effectiveness of Measures seen by the Public
Do not guess...
Know!
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Next Steps

• After assessing the perception of editors and
  journalists a first draft of a strategy was
  provided by an international consultant
• Now Discussion and adoption of recommendations
  to local conditions by local poll and media
  specialists
• The strategy will be finalised with DoE and other
  relevant Government agencies.

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Some immediate action for public attention
proposed

• Regular background information for press on
  specific issues
• Regular background talks by executive DoE
  personnel with selected journalists and editors
• Car parks Air Quality in Car Parks will be
  reached soon outside if BusinessAsUsual
• Measure the Air Quality and make results public
• Pollution in Street Markets through small power
  generators
• Connect the stalls to the electricity grid at
  nearly no cost
• All measures implemented with media presence and
  visibility of Environmental Authorities
• We protect our people