{"id":28710,"date":"2024-09-17T09:03:04","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T09:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onecitizendaily.com\/?p=28710"},"modified":"2024-09-17T09:03:04","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T09:03:04","slug":"nile-basin-gathers-journalists-to-tackle-plastic-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/17\/nile-basin-gathers-journalists-to-tackle-plastic-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"Nile Basin gathers journalists to tackle plastic pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Deng Ghai Deng<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Almost 30 journalists from ten Nile Basin countries are in Kampala, Uganda for a five-day training workshop on plastic pollution, emphasizing the critical role of citizen science in environmental reporting. <\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The event, organized by the Nile Basin Media Network (NBMN) in collaboration with Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT), the East Africa Radio Service (EARS), German Cooperation, implemented by GIZ, Nile Basin Discourse and the Nile Basin Initiative aims to empower journalists with the knowledge and tools to effectively investigate and report on plastic pollution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Participants from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania are attending the workshop.<\/span><\/p>\n

In her opening remarks, Dr. Florence Grace Adongo, Executive Director of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), highlighted the urgency of addressing plastic pollution, noting its detrimental impact on waterways, including the Nile, and its broader environmental and health implications.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs journalists, your role in shaping public opinion, informing policy debates, and holding both government and industry accountable is crucial. You are at the frontline of influencing how people understand and respond to the plastic pollution crisis,\u201d Dr. Adongo stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the world producing 430 million metric tons of plastic annually and more than two-thirds becoming waste, the environmental impact is profound. <\/span><\/p>\n

Research suggests that if current trends continue, plastic could contribute up to 19 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, jeopardizing climate goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Adongo also noted that the Nile River, known as the “father of African rivers,” is among the top rivers discharging plastic into the Mediterranean Sea, contributing between 100 and 1,000 tons of microplastics annually.<\/span><\/p>\n

The workshop will feature sessions on the latest research, hands-on citizen science, and strategies for effective reporting. <\/span><\/p>\n

Participants will also go for field visits to engage with local communities to better understand the real-world impacts of plastic pollution and explore collaborative approaches to mitigate the issue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah Bebb, Project Coordinator of MiCT, emphasized the importance of cross-border collaboration among journalists to tackle the transboundary challenge of plastic pollution.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a network allows journalists to speak as a group and address issues across borders. It\u2019s always interesting to see how these issues are perceived in different countries,\u201d Bebb said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ayenew Tessera Fenta, Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of Nile Basin Discourse, encouraged journalists to harness the power of citizen science to tell compelling stories and inspire action. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s work together to tell the stories that need to be told, amplify the voices that need to be heard, and inspire a world where plastic pollution is a thing of the past,\u201d Tessera urged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plastic pollution impacts freshwater ecosystems and associated marine environments by affecting water quality, posing health risks to humans and animals, increasing flood risks, impairing water and transport infrastructure, and, if accumulated, becoming an aesthetic eyesore.<\/span><\/p>\n

The workshop aims to inspire a new wave of investigative reporting that can drive policy changes and raise public awareness about plastic pollution in the Nile Basin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Deng Ghai Deng   Almost 30 journalists from ten Nile Basin countries are in Kampala, Uganda for a five-day training workshop on plastic pollution, emphasizing the critical role of citizen science in environmental reporting. The event, organized by the Nile Basin Media Network (NBMN) in collaboration with Media in[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":28711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,129],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-regional"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Journalists-from-the-Nile-Basin-Countries-pose-for-a-group-photo.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28710"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28712,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28710\/revisions\/28712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}