Climate change is a challenging issue for media professionals because it is affecting entire nations and has serious societal, economic and population consequences. Many journalists need to increase their capacities to understand the complicated issues related to it. The aim of the meeting in Sofia was raising awareness about climate change, its causes and impacts, as well as about possible strategies to address the challenges.

Public service broadcasters are amongst the most effective media in delivering knowledge on climate change mitigation opportunities and adaptation processes, and in raising public awareness through the dissemination of comprehensible scientific data. Improving media coverage of climate change issues is critically important for tackling the challenges of global warming.

Information provided by broadcast media plays a critical role in stimulating policy debate and in mobilizing knowledge. It empowers societies to make informed decisions on options for mitigation of the global climate change impact in order to avert potential human suffering. The broadcasters have the reach and credibility to make all stakeholders take climate change issues seriously, and policy makers to undertake timely action.

The workshop, which was supported by UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) has strengthened regional collaboration of the ERNO network of public service broadcasters. In this way the event has contributed to optimise the quality and relevance of programming and reporting on global climate change. It has also encouraged production and dissemination of relevant audiovisual content at the local and regional level in order to give voice to populations affected by climate change.