Media practitioners have been urged to play a critical role in ensuring that climate transitions are not only rapid, but also just, inclusive, and people-centered, as countries accelerate efforts to respond to climate change.
This was disclosed during the virtual meeting of Cross-border Media Science Café which brought together journalists in Africa including Malawi organized by Media Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (MESHA).
Teresa Anderson ActionAid International Climate Justice Lead said the world is facing a dangerous moment where economic hardship is weakening momentum for climate action.
She highlighted what the COP30 outcome on just transition means for climate action, emphasizing that civil society organizations pushed for a global agreement at the previous conference of the parties aimed at creating a mechanism that ensures countries implement climate action fairly across sectors.
“We called for a global mechanism on Just Transition to coordinate internationally, build knowledge, share learning, and support implementation,” she says, noting that the scope must go beyond energy. “It needs to include agriculture, minerals, and other sectors because people’s livelihoods depend on them.” Explains Anderson.
According to Anderson, national transitions must be guided by key principles such as participation, gender equality, reskilling, livelihood diversification, social protection, and strong public services. “Climate action must improve people’s lives, not push them deeper into poverty,” she says.
She highlights two important outcomes achieved within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations. “The new Just Transition principles are the most inclusive text ever agreed in the UN climate process, recognizing workers, women, Indigenous peoples, farmers, and human rights,” she says. “This means governments can now be held accountable to ensure climate action secures people’s rights, jobs, and access to food, land, and energy.”
Imani Ngusale strategic and technical Lead African Centre for Health, Climate and Gender Justice Alliance (ACHCGJA) said article 8 of the Paris Agreement recognizes Loss and Damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, particularly for vulnerable countries and communities.
However, he added that ACHCGA advocates for gender-responsive approaches to adaptation and mitigation that acknowledge non-economic losses such as health, dignity, livelihoods, and care systems.
“We emphasize that Loss and Damage mechanisms must address gendered health impacts and provide accessible, rights-based support. Gender-blind climate reporting often erases the lived realities of women, caregivers, and frontline communities, leading to policy responses that fail to address health inequities”, he says.
However, speaking during the COP30 Dissemination workshop the Chief Secretary to the President and cabinet Justin Saidi, emphasized that the priority is to ensure proper follow-up and accountability on climate finance pledges made to countries and organizations to support various initiatives aimed at reducing the impacts of climate change.
“What happened at COP30, is not only to understand, but to position Malawi to benefit from the new climate finance windows technology mechanisms, and capacity building opportunities that have emerged” says Saidi.
Saidi further revealed that in the coming months, the government will intensify efforts to scale up the development of bankable project proposals, strengthen coordination across ministries, departments, and sectors to mobilize resources for priority programs, particularly those that protect vulnerable communities, promote renewable energy, and support climate-smart and inclusive economic growth.
