‘State media should improve its reporting on climate in mega cities like Chennai’

The media in Tamil Nadu should improve climate reporting by creating a climate desk, publishing climate-related stories on a daily basis with climate-centric perspectives, including the viewpoints of marginalised communities, fact checking on climate-related solutions and training programmes, G. Sundarrajan of environmental organisation Poovulagin Nanbargal said.

Speaking at the ‘Editor’s Meet on Climate Change and Tamil Nadu’ organised by the organisation and the Chennai Press Club on Saturday, Mr. Sundarrajan said, “Chennai is the hottest megacity in India. It is vulnerable to heat stress. Heat-induced deaths seldom get reported. The media has to play a key role in sensitising the government and shaping public policy for a safe future with holocene-like conditions.”

“Temperature stability has been crucial for the formation of nation states. This is a very crucial juncture in the history of the world, facing five problems — climate change, mass extinction, pandemic, pollution, and inequality. Humans have been the single factor responsible for mass extinction. If you say, we will see when it comes, there will be nothing to see when it comes. In 2024, a temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius was registered, which was a watershed moment. As a result of the climate change in 2024, a disaster was registered across the world every day,” he said, adding that Tamil Nadu ranked 12 in the climate vulnerability index.

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Stressing the need for better reporting of climate-centric perspectives in Chennai, Mr. Sundarrajan said the media in Tamil Nadu should include the viewpoints of marginalised communities in projects such as the proposed airport in Parandur.

The projected rise of 4 degrees Celsius will spell doom for the world. At present, 29.1% of the Chennai Corporation area has been projected to be at a risk of inundation due to extreme precipitation in the city at a return period of five years (20 cm of rainfall), he said.

Pointing to the need to fact-check climate-related solutions and inadequate bus connectivity in Chennai, Mr. Sundarrajan said the media should question the policy on bus transportation and the delay in the implementation of Metro rail projects in the city, which has had an impact on climate.