Mekong journalists prepare for COP28 coverage
Preparations by Earth Journalism Network’s 16-year-old climate partnership program are expected to produce quality media coverage on the global pressing issues.
A group of five journalists from the Mekong countries of Thailand and Vietnam (including The Hanoi Times) gathered on November 9 to prepare reporting for the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), which will be convened from November 30 to December 12, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
| Mekong journalists prepare for COP28 in the Earth Journalism Network (EJN)’s Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP). |
The pre-COP28 sessions, virtually organized by the Earth Journalism Network (EJN)’s Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP), were designed to help reporters gain background on the COP and shape up their story coverage plans with the help of EJN experts.
During the session, the reporters learned about the history of the COP, the Kyoto Protocol, Copenhagen, and the Paris Agreement.
The reporters will receive daily updates and one-on-one or country-specific coaching during the two weeks of COP28.
Their stories will cover the COP28 opening and closing and country pledges, local voices or movements, climate challenges, and solutions to thematic issues in their countries.
Preparations for journalists in Thailand and Vietnam about COP28 are significant to enable them to have stories that address critical situations and issues that matter to their countries, which rank 102nd and 128th, respectively, among 185 countries least vulnerable to climate change, according to the University of Notre Dame’s ND-GAIN Country Index.
Among 192 countries most ready for climate change, Thailand ranked 62nd and Vietnam 93rd, as shown in the University of Notre Dame’s ND-GAIN Country Index. Meanwhile, Thailand was 9th and Vietnam 13th among 180 countries most suffered from extreme weather in 2000-2019 in the Global Climate Risk Index 2021 prepared by Germanwatch. In the global shares of greenhouse gas emissions, they both account for 0.88% each.
The countries’ National Determined Contributions (NDCs) propose mitigation measures in all sectors with an emphasis on energy and transport (Thailand) and energy and agriculture (Vietnam).
Achieving mitigation targets and adaptation requires the participation of all stakeholders and support in all aspects, namely policy implementation, technology development and transfer, mechanisms and institutions, and finance.
This guidance was provided at the CCMP Mekong Virtual Fellowship. This is the first year that EJN has run two regional virtual programs to support journalists covering COP28, including the Lower Mekong region, the Middle East, and North Africa. The program includes pre-departure workshops, daily briefings from the COP, ongoing mentorship and editing support.
Launched in 2007, the Climate Change Media Partnership, led by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, has been organizing Fellowships for more than 400 journalists from developing countries to attend and report on the annual UN climate summits and other major events.
| Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Source: EJN |
COP and Vietnam's commitments
The two-week thematic program is provided with some notes given to formal and informal negotiations, side events, press conferences, and demonstrations from civil society. Participants at COP28 include countries' delegations, business executives, multilateral organizations, mainly financial institutions, civil society, and climate and biodiversity experts, among others.
Experienced EJN experts prepared reporters for the stories before COP28, ensuring that they selected topics of interest and went through the list of events taking place at the global event with key takeaways.
COP28's agenda will cover the World Climate Action Summit, Health/Relief, Recovery and Peace; Finance, Trade, Gender Equality and Accountability; Energy, Industry, and Just Transition; Multilevel Action, Urbanization and Built Environment, Transport; Youth, Children, Education and Skills; Nature, Land Use, and Oceans; Food, Agriculture and Water; and Final Negotiations.
The event's cross-cutting themes include Technology and Innovation, Inclusion, Frontline Communities, and Finance.
At COP26 held in Glasgow, the UK, in November 2021, Vietnam presented a bold plan to move away from new coal plants and toward clean energy to decarbonize the economy. This represents a substantial shift from the country's current energy plans and shows that Vietnam has made a political decision to shift to a less carbon-intensive and more diverse energy mix.
These commitments come in response to the recent surge in solar and wind energy and the necessity of maintaining Vietnam's competitiveness in a global economy where environmental sustainability and low-carbon energy are essential for attracting foreign investment.
The legal foundation for Vietnam's shift to renewable energy was established in 2020 with the adoption of Resolution 55 on the Orientation of Vietnam's National Development Strategy to 2030 and Outlook to 2045 by the Communist Party of Vietnam.
