Not everyone knows what’s ‘climate change’

I NEVER really stopped to think that phrases such as “climate change” and “global warming” might not be familiar to many people. It was not until a few weeks ago when I was researching climate change journalism in Guyana, did I realise that reporting on climate change must involve explaining what these phrases are and how these conversations apply to the average person.

In October 2015, the Guyana Chronicle published an article with the headline “Guyana’s first climate change refugees… who don’t know what climate change is.” Reading this article made me realise that people are conscious of (some of) the effects of climate change- such as extreme rainfall that leads to widespread flooding. This flooding forced them to leave their homes and live elsewhere. Interestingly, however, they do not know that these “bad things” that have happened are directly linked to climate change.

The article was published about six years ago and since then, things such as the United Nations (UN) ‘s Paris Agreement and movement towards a sustainable future have become much more topical. Cognisant of the article’s age and the progression of the climate change conversation, I decided to look into this.

Following the nationwide flooding earlier this year, I had a chat with a koker operator at La Bonne Intention (LBI) on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD). The man articulated how mangroves (he called these plants “bush”) have been protecting the shoreline and contributed to flood mitigation. He was adept at reading the tides and telling you that the hotter climate was affecting the fishing sector.

Yet, he did not know what climate change is, nor was he aware of global warming. I did not ask him about his knowledge of “net zero emissions.” It is not as simple as assuming that the man “lives under a rock” and has not made an effort to educate himself. There are complexities to consider, including his exposure to scientific research and access to information.

Yes, there is an abundance of information from reputable sources. Still, the average person would not google a scientific journal and sit down to try to understand the scientific discourse. Cognisant of that and because I read that article, I have been a bit more conscious of how I report on climate change, keenly focused on ensuring that people easily understand what I write (as should be a given in journalism) but also to help contextualise the global conversations- like COP 26, which a Guyanese delegation will be attending in November.

I am fortunate. I have been exposed to the conversation on climate change and global warming since I was nine years old. My initial exposure was due to the establishment of Environmental Community Health Organisation (ECHO) clubs in some schools when I was in Grade Five. These clubs were created to get young people interested in caring for the environment and learning about climate change.

Around that time, too, Guyana crafted its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and I gradually learnt about this. The LCDS was hailed as a much-needed, innovative strategy to protect Guyana’s forests, while receiving financial resources for doing so. With the forests kept intact, instead of being cut down, Guyana was able to contribute to the global effort to mitigate global warming and climate change.

Of course, understanding how the LCDS works means that you must have some basic understanding of climate change and global warming and those things. Which naturally means understanding a bit of science.

Simply, the trees breathe in the carbon dioxide (a gas) that humans breathe out; this carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when trees are cut down or when fuels are burnt. When this gas (called a greenhouse gas) is released into the atmosphere, it contributes to making the earth hotter (through a process called global warming) and contributing to other climatic situations such as increasingly worse natural disasters such as floods.

So, in simple terms, intact forests mean that more trees would capture those gases that contribute to making the earth hotter. And what was particularly interesting (and most welcome) about the LCDS was that it allowed Guyana to get money for not cutting down its trees and helping to keep the planet from getting too warm.

All this aside, I think that at the very least, many of us are aware of the effects of climate change. Importantly, I believe too that there is consensus in supporting and leveraging the gigantic role Guyana plays in the global efforts to save the earth (and thankfully, there has been bipartisan work to this end).

Of course, there is much more to learn and explore about climate change, especially since it is an existential threat. But I am hoping that bit by bit, more Guyanese people can be cognisant of this phenomenon and help in the efforts to hold local, regional and international leaders accountable.

If you would like to connect with me to discuss COVID-19, this column, or any of my previous works, feel free to email me at vish14ragobeer@gmail.com

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