In the context of the “Second meeting of environmental journalists from news agencies in the Mediterranean” has been organized the conference “Improving climate change reporting in the Mediterranean: Science – Media interface” in Marrakesh, from the 11th to the 13th November, 2016.

The Fifth Assessment Report from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPPC, 2013) highlights the Mediterranean as one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to the impacts of global warming.  However, media coverage of climate change today is at a crossroads. Journalists are the key players in society to identify, access, shape and communicate the information that opinion leaders and the public at large will later use to judge the urgency to fight the negative impacts of climate change both at ecological and socioeconomic levels.

To empower Mediterranean media professionals in fulfilling their role, the second Meeting of Environmental Journalists from News Agencies in the Mediterranean will be held in Marrakesh during the COP22 on Climate Change from 7 to 18 November, 2016. The aim of this second encounter is to steer the debate among scientists and journalists on the real and clear bearings of climate change in the Mediterranean and enhance the capacity of young environmental and scientific journalists from North African and Mediterranean countries to cover this type of news by providing them with the right data, sources and tools.

The Meeting is jointly organized by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation and the Spanish news agency EFE.

The support of the agencies member of the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN) is vital for the success of this endeavour to raise awareness on major environmental challenges in the region. This joint venture promoted by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation in collaboration with other key regional environmental organizations was launched in 2015 with the valuable support of AMAN and EFE, materializing in the organization of the first meeting of environmental journalists from news agencies in the Mediterranean last December in Malaga, Spain.

The organization of this second meeting focusing on climate change is a key step forward towards the consolidation of a networking among environmental and scientific journalists in the Mediterranean.

Proposed list of participants:
Senior environmental and scientific journalists from the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN), representatives of professional associations of environmental journalists (APIA and AECC in Spain), young journalists from North Africa, and delegates from key Mediterranean environmental organizations (IUCN, WWF-Med, UNEP/MAP). The debate will be open to local and other journalists interested in the event.

THE CONFERENCE
The Debate Forum will bring journalists, scientists, government officials and environmentalists together to explore the many facets of climate change stories in order to improve the quality and accuracy of environmental reporting in the Mediterranean region, both from the scientific and the press points of view.

Day One sessions will bring light to the various dimensions of climate change in the Mediterranean region affecting science, economy and policy aspects. Between three and four experts will participate in every round-discussion moderated by a journalist. Day Two will be devoted to media training and ways to improve the dialogue between scientists, policy-makers and journalists to communicate effectively the challenges of climate change in the Mediterranean.

The meeting will be complemented with a field visit to showcase projects developed in Morocco to fight and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The bulk of presentations during the two-day debate will be open to all media on site, subject to space limitations.

The meeting’s working languages will be English and French