Nirmal Ghosh, Straits Times 16 Dec 09;
COPENHAGEN: Journalists can make a major impact in changing people's perspective and lifestyle when it comes to climate change, the head of the United Nations' panel of climate scientists said.
'If we want action, it has to come from the personal commitment of every individual to solving this problem and reducing our carbon footprint, adapting to the impacts of climate change,' said Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
'This is where journalism and journalists can make a major impact in bringing about a total change in perspective and a change in behaviour and lifestyle on the part of individuals.
'Once we do that, the leaders of the world will have no choice but to listen to us.'
Dr Pachauri was speaking to an audience of 500 at the Earth Journalism Awards ceremony on Monday night, held on the sidelines of the UN climate change summit in the Danish capital.
The awards honoured the world's best in climate change reporting. Straits Times journalist Jessica Cheam, 26, was one of the 15 winners, chosen from 900 journalists in 142 countries.
Her package of stories on the changing face of the energy industry, which was published in The Straits Times in February, was written for a wide audience but also included local voices and facts, the citation noted.
The other winners were from the United States, Australia, Brazil, Macedonia Republic, Kenya, Eritrea, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea.
Speaking after the awards, Ms Cheam noted that a growing number of journalists were reporting on climate change.
She said: 'I find it quite a privilege to be reporting on it, because you really feel like what you write is making a difference.'
