Media

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Media Climate Change Getting the Message to
the People
R. K. Pachauri Chairman, IPCC Director-General,
TERI Roanoke, Virginia 17th October 2008
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change Science at the service of policy-making
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Role of the IPCC
UNEP
WMO
The role of the IPCC is to assess on a
comprehensive, objective and transparent basis
the scientific, technical and socio-economic
information relevant to understanding the
scientific basis of climate change, its potential
impacts and options for adaptation mitigation
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References to the IPCC in the Bali Action Plan
(December 2007)
Responding to the findings of the Fourth
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change that warming of the climate
system is unequivocal, and that delay in reducing
emissions significantly constrains opportunities
to achieve lower stabilization levels and
increases the risk of more severe climate change
impacts
emphasizing the urgency to address climate
change as indicated in the Fourth Assessment
Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change
urgent and immediate needs of developing
countries that are particularly vulnerable to the
adverse effects of climate change, especially the
least developed countries and small island
developing States, and further taking into
account the needs of countries in Africa affected
by drought, desertification and floods
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• Key findings of the IPCC
• Fourth Assessment Report
• 1. Warming of the climate system is unequivocal

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Changes in global average surface temperature
Eleven of the last twelve years rank among the
twelve warmest years in the instrumental record
of global surface temperature
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Global temperature change
1 0.5 0
Temperature anomaly
1900 1950
2000 Year
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II. Observed changes in climate
Changes in global average sea level
Global average sea level has risen since 1961 at
an average rate of 1.8mm/yr and since 1993 at
3.1mm/yr
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• Key findings of the IPCC
• Fourth Assessment Report
• 2. Continued GHG emissions ... would induce
  many changes in the global climate system during
  the 21st century that would very likely be larger
  than those observed during the 20th century

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Carbon dioxide emissions
Global atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse
gases (GHG) increased markedly as a result of
human activities, with an increase of 70 in
1970-2004
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Ranges for predicted surface warming
Continued emissions would lead to further warming
of 1.1ºC to 6.4ºC over the 21st century
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Expected impacts on poor regions
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• Key findings of the IPCC
• Fourth Assessment Report
• 3. Mitigation actions can result in near-term
  co-benefits that may offset a substantial
  fraction of mitigation costs

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Characteristics of stabilisation scenarios
Stabilization level (ppm CO2-eq) Global mean temp. increase (ºC) Year CO2 needs to peak Global sea level rise above pre- industrial from thermal expansion (m)
445 490 2.0 2.4 2000 2015 0.4 1.4
490 535 2.4 2.8 2000 2020 0.5 1.7
535 590 2.8 3.2 2010 2030 0.6 1.9
590 710 3.2 4.0 2020 2060 0.6 2.4
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Impacts of mitigation on GDP growth (for
stabilisation scenario of 445-535 ppm CO2-eq)
GDP
Current
Time
2030
Schematic graph
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Co-benefits of mitigation

• Health co-benefits from reduced air pollution

• Increased energy security

• More rural employment

• Increased agricultural production and reduced
  pressure on natural ecosystems

• Co-benefits provide the opportunity for
• no-regrets policies and reduce mitigation costs

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The urgent need for action
Climate system inertia even if GHG
concentrations were held constant, a further
warming trend would occur in the next two decades
at a rate of about 0.1C per decade

• Energy system inertia delayed emission
  reductions lead to investments that lock in more
  emission intensive infrastructure and development
  pathways

• Mitigation actions need to start in the short
  term in order to have medium- longer-term
  benefits and to avoid lock-in of carbon-intensive
  technologies

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• The role of the media
• Ensuring proper focus on the future by getting
  the right messages across

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The media and climate change excerpts
The earth must be inevitably changing its aspect
and its climate. How the change is slowly taking
place and what the result will be has been
considered. (New York Times, 1932)
Time Magazine special Environment issue, April
2008
Every time you start a car, light a fire, or
turn on a furnace youre joining the greatest
weather experiment men have ever launched.
(Christian Science Monitor, 1957)
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Role and limitations of mass media
Mass media has shaped perceptions on climate
change and has broadly affected translations
between science and policy
However, the media may not have reported enough
on the urgency and depth of the changes needed
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Some recommendations

• Inform, but also stimulate audience to think and
  act and emphasise existing solutions
• Citizens and consumers opinion choices are the
  main factors of pressure on decision-makers

• Go beyond the cyclical coverage of climate change
  emphasise its day-to-day relevance
• Adaptation mitigation issues can be linked to a
  variety of news items and topics

• Link climate change to other issues of
  sustainable development
• Fighting climate change goes through the creation
  of a more sustainable society

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Media and public opinion on climate policy
Issue of developing countries rising emissions
currently dominates US public opinion on policy
action in climate change   Indias per capita
emissions about 5 of US per capita emissions
Chinas less than 20  Integrating climate
change into development policies is crucial, but
lack of quantitative targets for developing
countries should not be an alibi for US inaction.
Media has a critical role in forming public
opinion, to galvanise policy action on climate
change
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Equity aspect of climate change
The impacts of climate change will fall
disproportionately on developing nations, and
poorer people in all countries In Africa by 2020,
between 75 and 250 million people are projected
to be exposed to an increase of water stress due
to climate change. Health Impacts increased
deaths, disease and injury due to heat waves,
floods, storms, fires and droughts increased
burden of diarrhoeal disease increased frequency
of cardio-respiratory diseases altered spatial
distribution of some infectious disease vectors.
In some countries, yields from rain-fed
agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 by 2020
Small islands are especially vulnerable
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• All of us who professionally use
• the mass media are the shapers of society. We can
  vulgerize that society. We can brutalize it. Or
  we can help lift it onto a higher level.
• - William Bernbach,
• Advertising Executive