By Emmanuel Oti Acheampong.
Conversations and discussions around climate change and its adversities are seemingly losing their prominence in the Ghanaian context day in and day out.
As the fourth estate of every country, the media, with the power it yields to push an agenda and get great results, has been charged to lead discussions and communications on the issues of climate change in Ghana.
Addressing a panel at a one-day round table Africa Climate Communication Conference in Accra, President of the African University College of Communications (AUCC), Professor Isaac Abeku Blankson, emphasized the strong role of the media in championing both sustainability and climate change communication. According to him, the majority of Ghanaians have their source of information and education from the media and thus go by anything the media champions.
He bemoaned the lack of interest the media has in climate communication as compared to political discussions. He added that the media should not only focus on issues that rake in money but rather on issues that are of great benefit and good to the populace.
Professor Blankson further called on government, politicians, and academia to make known to the media the policies and research works that have been enrolled on climate change topics. He said this step will increase the interest of the media and will also have great significance for the activities that destroy the environment.
