[THINK PIECE] We Need to Demystify Climate Mitigation

One of the barriers in climate communication is the inaccessibility of acronyms and jargon to laymen. For example, when Super Typhoon Yolanda (IN: Typhoon Haiyan) made landfall in the Philippines, the people knew to expect strong winds and heavy rains but were ultimately unprepared and caught off guard by the most powerful tropical cyclone ever recorded. The culprit was in part due to the government’s use of the term "storm surge," a term well understood by meteorologists, yet largely unfamiliar to those living in small, isolated, and vulnerable communities. The public underestimated the severity of the situation and failed to understand the fact that the super typhoon was simply too strong to prepare for. Local residents of places like Tacloban, the 'ground-zero' of the catastrophe, did not evacuate even though they had 18 hours to do so. As a result, many lives were lost, which could have been avoided if better communication and literacy were available. 

The climate crisis is one of the defining issues of our time, which affects every country in the world. To be able to address it, clear and cohesive conversations should take place. However, due to its technicalities and complexities, many of the terms and concepts on climate change, especially climate mitigation, are complicated and confusing. More than ever, the abundance of abbreviations, acronyms, and scientific jargons casually used in climate discussion creates barriers to entry which leads to important conversations being daunting and intimidating. As a result, those aiming to have a voice in climate discussions often struggle more with understanding the technical climate guidelines than engaging in the real work. 

These terms are titans that remain difficult for climate rookies to wrap their heads around. It’s definitely concerning because effective climate conversations need to be inclusive, incorporating the valuable insights and stories from every community involved.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are commitments made by countries outlining their plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. These commitments are a key part of the Paris Agreement, wherein each nation pledged towards achieving global climate goals. Hence, the technical nature of NDCs are often filled with complex metrics and policy jargon which makes them difficult to grasp for those not well-versed in climate policy. This prevents broader public engagement, understanding, and even awareness of how these commitments affect local and global communities.

During the Youth Sustainability Forum (YSF) 2024, this message was clear. Accurate environmental science terms will always have their place, but just as we wouldn't expect foreigners to fluently speak the language of the country they're visiting, it is unreasonable to assume that the general public—farmers, fisherfolk, street vendors, and other communities outside the climate sector—could easily understand complex climate jargon. Moreover, it is often these underrepresented groups who most urgently need to be included in the conversation. 

To address this communication issue, several ASEAN initiatives have been made. The Fisherman Weather Field School is an ocean literacy program designed to educate fishing communities, helping them better understand and utilize information from weather and ocean climate services. The implementation of the program has been carried out since 2016 in various locations in Indonesia and is crucial to the adaptation strategies of these local communities to cope with extreme weather conditions and associated climatic variations. The program emphasizes that fisherfolk's perceptions on climate change are critical because they form the fisherfolk's readiness and behavior in building adaptation strategies and maritime capture adjustments.

Mogesh Sababathy, ASEAN-India Youth Awardee 2023, also shared at YSF 2024 his initiative of co-founding Project Ocean Hope, an educational portal he co-founded which aims to enhance ocean literacy through locally relevant perspectives and organizes school tours. This project targets primary and secondary education students with the goal of bridging scientific knowledge from university to society and empowering the youth to become environmental champions.

The approaches of these climate literacy projects underscore the potential of experimental media forms. This niche is especially ripe for exploration by the digital natives of the younger generation. Thus, the youth are uniquely positioned to leverage social media, visual storytelling, and other platforms to break down barriers of understanding. This can make climate science not only more accessible but also more engaging.