The Role of State Broadcasting Media and Education in Addressing Climate Change in Bangladesh

Abstract

Media and education undoubtedly play an important role in alerting and preparing people from many kinds of natural calamities and disasters. This is especially true for disasters that are caused by climate change. Through media and education people not only become more aware of the changes happening in nature, but are also empowered to minimise the risks associated with it. This chapter discusses several strategies in the domain of media and education to effectively tackle climate change impacts. It includes approaches taken by multiple stake-holders, including the Bangladesh Government and different non-government organisations. The Bangladesh Government's preferred invisibilist approach of knowledge dissemination versus different community organisations' supported visibilist approach of local knowledge integration has been discussed. Different forms of public media and, most importantly, state broadcast media are currently engaged in this process. Educational interventions coordinated by government and non-government organisations are also addressing the issue. This chapter provides examples of different forms of communication interventions that can assist in creating and raising public awareness to combat the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh. However, the combined roles of media and education in addressing climate change and community wellbeing need to be investigated further in future impact evaluation studies.