PIA, CUI launch climate change writing contest
The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in partnership with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) is launching a climate change writing contest as part of the annual College Press Conference (Copre), the yearly competition among college and university publications.
The contest, which involves feature and opinion writing, encourages coverage of climate change issues and aims to establish a network of youth journalists for environmental restoration and climate change adaptation.
With this project, Climate Change writing becomes a new category under Copre in additional to the regular Best Magazine, Best Newspaper and Best Departmental Publication categories, as well as Best in Editorial Page, Feature Page, Sports Page, Literary Page, News Page, and Editorial Cartoons, Best Newspaper/Magazine Layout and Best magazine Cover Design.
The contest also aims to gather materials on various local activities and actionable ideas on climate change adaptation.
This is the second year that CUI, a Toronto-based non-government organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in urban areas across Canada and internationally, is partnering with PIA for a writing contest.
Last year, PIA and CUI also introduced the public realm writing contest. A trophy and certificates await the winners and runners-up.
CUI’s activities in the Philippines are funded by the Canadian International Development Agency.
The criteria for the contest includes: Ability to localize the issue, 40%; evidence of research, 30%; creative storytelling, 20% and grammar and composition, 10%.
All entries in the contest must be published in a college paper or magazine for the school year 2009-2010.
The college paper or magazine must be an official entry to Copre, and the feature story and/or opinion/column article must be properly identified as an entry to the Climate Change Writing Contest in their respective categories.
The feature story and/or opinion/column article can also be an entry to the best feature story and/or best opinion/column article category of the COPRE.
The feature story and/or opinion/column article must bear the name/s or the author/s.
Earlier, CUI interns Jed Kilbourn and Amaraine Laven urged information officers of government agencies and local government units to educate their publics regarding climate change.
The two said educating the public on the existing effects of global warming and climate change in the Philippines is necessary in the wake of seemingly inadequate correct information which people generally have.
Kilbourn and Laven have been interviewing people on the streets about climate change and their findings revealed some knowledge but very inadequate such that they are able to relate with the experiences they have.
Kilbourn said information and education activities are important as climate change is induced by human activity and though the Philippines is not a big contributor because it is not highly industrialized, the country bears adverse effects.
He said with knowledge, some risks and effects can be averted while lack of it can, and in the Philippines, had already brought disasters.
Laven said information officers should have in their hands appropriate knowledge and creative strategies to start information and education campaigns, like writing stories that cite local and actual evidences of climate change.
Most importantly, Kilbourn added, is the creation of awareness that particular localities have to address climate change in manners different from those in other localities as situations and impacts differ.
Most of the IOs, like those from the Office of Civil Defense, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Tourism, and the local governments of Miag-ao, Passi City, New Lucena, Dumangas and Calinog said somehow they have started to conduct information dissemination on climate change but not on a big scale because of inadequate inputs and resources on their part.
In a paper presented before by DENR-RTD Dr. Alice Lustica said that the systemic nature of climate change impacts bigger challenges on health with weather-related mortality infectious diseases and air-quality respiratory diseases.
On agriculture, the impacts are on crop yields and irrigation demands, while on forests, there are the change in forest composition, forest health and productivity as well as shift in geographic range of forests.
Lustica also said that climate change bears impacts on water supply, water quality, and increased competition for water, while its impacts on coastal areas include erosion of beaches, inundation of coastal lands, and on high costs involving protection of coastal communities.
Species and natural areas are also affected by climate change as to a shift in ecological zones and loss of habitat and species. (Florence Hibionada)