In 2021, the country sent its report on Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the UNFCCC. (NDC Report to the UNFCCC, 2021). In response to the ongoing need for aid, the country also sent out its Second National Communication to the UNFCCC in 2022. It provided an overview of the national circumstances in the past five years which included government structure and the economy. The communique also outlined the country’s policies for agriculture, food security, energy, and the transfer of technologies from non-sustainable to sustainable means. Along with policy information, the report also included data from natural disasters, the causes and impacts of the typhoons and the country’s infrastructure to tackle the same. Interviews with local citizens’ whose lives had been negatively affected by frequent and extreme weather events were also included. The raw data was collated over 2021-2022 in accordance with the NCC’s report to the UNFCCC. The report was sent to the UNFCCC and the World Bank which included a detailed plan on conducting research, and installing capacity building and public awareness programs for local communities. (Second National Communication to the UNFCCC, 2022). Thus, Philippines serves as another successful example of an extremely vulnerable nation communicating its climate needs.
In conclusion, considering the examples of Vanuatu, Madagascar and Philippines, one can establish the fact that at-risk countries are effectively communicating their climate needs. Effective communication in this case is defined as documenting and transmitting vital information about climate assistance backed up with relevant evidence, along with conveying the intentions behind the communication (IPCC Handbook, 2018). There are several other nations as well such as Haiti, Syria, Lebanon, and Somalia who face the ravages of climate change and have been asking for assistance from the World Bank, the IMF and the UN. However, in the three case studies mentioned above, the result is that there has been little or inconsistent flow of financial aid.
This does lead to a further question: if the communication has been effective, why is it not able to achieve its desired result? The reasons are many. These reports are often low on the hierarchy of priorities such as national security or terrorism. There is also reticence from first world countries to pay reparations. Most importantly, there is a lack of legally binding obligations on states to deliver aid. This provides scope for further research. It also raises questions about how climate protest is visually represented across the globe, who communicates climate stories and whether there is scientific literacy amongst the masses. Ultimately, the question of climate communication depends on strategic environmental narratives in politics which are often misconstrued or overlooked altogether.
References
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