Lack of preparation and training on environmental issues is behind the absence of environmental journalism in Mozambique. The conclusions were made during the environmental journalism debate organized by Association of Environmental Journalists and Human Rights(AJADH), in Maputo.

Climate change currently represents a global problem and requires equally global solutions. It is also one of the most debated issues worldwide and, for the worst reasons, also in Mozambique. And not for less!

Very recently, the United Nations Organization (UNO) held the COP 26 Conference that aimed to debate and create solutions to reduce the effects of climate change that are already an unavoidable reality worldwide.

In Mozambique the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly recurrent and intense. Data indicate that Mozambique is one of the countries most prone to multiple threats in the southern region and also in the world. This panorama led AJADH, an Association of Environmental and Human Rights Journalists, to organize the first debate on the theme "Environmental Journalism: how to report in times of climate change".

"Climate change now represents a global problem and requires equally global solutions"

The event, which took place at the School of Communication and Arts at Eduardo Mondlane University, brought together students, journalists, social activists, and university professors.

"We still notice limitations in the specialization in environmental journalism in the country, hence the relevance of discussing this theme, so that together we can find solutions to this problem," said Sérgio dos Céus, executive director of AJADH, in the opening of the event.

"Environmental journalism is an issue that has to do with specialization. If we look at this theme from the point of view of specialization, we will say that newsrooms do not have an environmental journalism. There are no agendas focused on environmental journalism," said Adão Matimbe, journalist and university professor, during his speech.

Matimbe classified as "painful" the situation of environmental journalism in Mozambique. "Environmental topics only have space when there is no subject in the newsroom, so from this basis we can say that environmental journalism in Mozambique is very incipient," said the professor, justifying that "professionals are not prepared to produce environmental topics, they do not have the sensitivity to produce environmental stories.

"Professionals have neither preparation nor sensitivity to produce environmental stories."

Environmental literacy is urgent, especially for communication professionals who, among their many roles, also have to educate.

The environmentalist Carlos Serra Jr, defends the deep knowledge of environmental issues by journalists that is to better inform. "It is not possible for a journalist to inform us better about environmental issues if he himself has difficulty understanding some environmental concepts," the environmentalist noted.

Professor Arsénio Farranguane, from the School of Journalism, is of the same opinion and refers that it is necessary that the journalist understands the environmental issue even before the practice of environmental journalism.

Adão Matimbe says that a whole process of education that starts at the bottom and works its way up is to blame. "In elementary school, there are even some concepts related to climate and temperature, but then there is no continuity in secondary and higher education," he says. He says that the role of teaching subjects related to the environment should not only be played by universities. "We are talking about a cross-cutting area that, although it may not seem like it, has a lot to do with our lives," says the professor.

Introducing environmental chairs...

The world is changing and global temperatures are rising exponentially. The need for the media to report accurately and precisely on environmental issues, and their impacts, is increasingly urgent. There can be no more waiting.

"While the debate in universities about introducing environmental journalism chairs is being postponed, the media should not postpone the debate," Matimbe comments, adding that "it is the media's obligation to schedule environmental issues in their daily lives."

Musician Stewart Sukuma, who was also a speaker at the debate, defended the idea of reporting on environmental issues on a daily basis. "You can't only talk about environmental issues when a garbage dump collapses, for example (...) These issues should be part of the daily process until people start realizing the importance of this," said the musician, who also advocated the introduction of environmental subjects in school curricula.

According to him, the change necessarily goes through a process of education that should also start at school. "We need to educate people about environmentally sound practices.

Farranguane says that just reporting is not enough. It is necessary to deliver, to embrace the cause of the environment. He says that journalists must assume the educational, pedagogical, and transformative role of citizens. He also advocates specialization in environmental journalism so that they are better informers on environmental matters.