Climate Change

Herman Wasserman: SA Media's Coverage of Climate Change Not Quite Commensurate with Scale of Crisis

Video Prof. Herman Wasserman, Deputy Head of Rhodes University's School of Journalism and Media Studies argued that the South African media's coverage of climate change is not quite commensurate with the scale and impact of the crisis. He highlighted three weaknesses in the media's reporting on climate change: 1) The frequency of the coverage. 2) The prominence of the coverage. 3) The tone of the coverage. Prof. Wasserman highlighted these issues at a roundtable discussion,...

William Gumede: Climate Change Is about Bread and Butter Issues

Video Critically acclaimed novelist and chairperson of the South African Civil Society Information Service (SACSIS), William Gumede told delegates at a roundtable discussion on "The Media and Climate Change" that climate change is about bread and butter issues. Gumede chaired the roundtable discussion co-hosted by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung South Africa Office and SACSIS. The discussion sought to ascertain how the South African media is reporting on climate change in the run up to...

Olivier Serrao: What the Friedrich Ebert Foundation is about in South Africa

Video In his opening remarks at a roundtable discussion on "The Media and Climate Change," Olivier Serrao of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) South Africa Office, talked about the work of the foundation in the country. FES is a private cultural, non-profit political institution committed to the ideas and basic values of a social democracy and the labour movement. The foundation's mission internationally is to promote democracy and social justice through capacity building, policy...

Fazila Farouk: The Poor are Disproportionately Affected by Climate Change

Video Fazila Farouk, executive director of The South African Civil Society Information Service (SACSIS) opened the SACSIS/Friedrich Ebert Stiftung roundtable discussion on "The Media and Climate Change." The event sought to examine how the South African media is reporting on climate change in the run up to COP17, the United Nations climate conference taking place in Durban from 28 November  to 9 December 2011. SACSIS has an interest in how the media reports on critical development...

South Africa's Neoliberal Water Policies Exacerbate the Effects of Climate Change on the Poor

Picture: www.schools.indiawaterportal.org Michelle Pressend - One of the major threats stemming from climate change is increased water scarcity.  The South African government’s National Climate Change Response White Paper released in October this year argues, “Based on current projections, South Africa will exceed the limits of economically viable land-based water resources by 2050.” This projection is extremely worrying considering millions of South Africans do not have access to water and sanitation.  South Africa’s...

Palestine's Green Energy Movement: Tunneling Gaza for a Totally Different Reason

Video As people in Palestine continue to face economic uncertainty and high unemployment, one Palestinian has decided to help by tackling high energy prices.  Entrepreneur Khalid Al Sabawi decided to dig deep down, literally, for solutions. He realized that the most efficient, cost efficient and environmentally friendly answer would be to harness geothermal energy found beneath the ground. Imran Garda of Al Jazeera's "The Stream" talks to Al Sabawi about establishing his green...