Environmentalist, Jeremiah Ato has urged the Federal, State and local governments to work pains kingly towards eliminating climate change crisis which has plagued the country, saying that these could be achieved only through effective environmental narrative  and good governance.

Speaking at the workshop for journalists in Abuja,Ato explained that the media— traditional, and digital should stand at the frontline of shaping how governments at all levels and citizens can understand the issues surrounding climate change in the country.

He hinted that they have developed and designed modules to be practical, calling for interactive, and adaptable to different levels of decision-making as transparency, accountability, and the effective implementation of national environmental laws are keys to them.

The environmentalist opined that effective environmental communication would help bridging the gap between livelihoods, national security, and economic stability, adding that during floods, pollution, chemical spills, and other emergencies that are timely and factual narrative will save lives.

On recurring floods and droughts to biodiversity, he urged

journalists to understand the crisis- environmental risks, how communities must prepare for climate-related disasters, and how they would navigate environmental stories without structured guidance on ethics, risk communication.

“Media should promote  these messages to  public to create awareness that would include limited access to reliable environmental data, National Determined Contributions(NDC), climate adaptation plans, and multilateral environmental agreements.”

He argued that they will strengthen timely accurate, and responsible communication to the public with the tools, skills, and ethical grounding needed environmental issues would have become central to Nigeria’s development discourse as it affected public health.

“This will draw attention of global best practices where Nigeria’s national environmental laws would align with scientific concepts and media will carry out sufficient investigative reporting on environmental issues in Nigeria. It is evolving, yet several persistent gaps undermine effect.”