Lahore, October 21, 2025: The Climate Journalism Workshop 2025 was held at Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), Lahore as part of an ongoing collaboration between Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), and FCCU’s Faculty of Humanities.
The workshop gathered journalists, academics, and postgraduate students from Lahore to explore how climate communication has evolved since 2015 and how journalists and educators can make it more constructive and solutions-focused.
The event was moderated by Dr. Syed Muhammad Saqib Saleem, Associate Professor at FCCU’s Department of Mass Communication, a member of the MediaClimate Network Task Force, and collaborator for the Climate Journalism initiative in Pakistan. Dr. Saqib highlighted the growing need for solution-oriented and inclusive climate journalism, emphasizing that “climate communication must move beyond crisis reporting to stories that empower communities to act.”
Opening Reflections: Collaboration and the Power of Storytelling
The day opened with Dr. Altaf Khan, Dean of Humanities, who welcomed participants and reflected on how the FCCU–OsloMet partnership has built academic and professional bridges for climate journalism in Pakistan.
Joining virtually from Oslo, Prof. Elisabeth Eide, Professor Emeritus of Journalism Studies at OsloMet and Co-founder of the MediaClimate Network, traced the global arc of climate communication from the 2015 Paris Agreement to the upcoming COP30 in Belem, Brazil. Using coral reef degradation – recently declared the first major tipping point of the climate crisis, she reminded participants that climate journalism must “connect global processes to local experiences”, bridging science, lived reality, and accountability.
A Decade of Climate Narratives
The keynote speaker, Ahmad Rafay Alam, environmental lawyer and policy expert, reflected on how Pakistan’s climate narrative has evolved in both urgency and tone. Alam offered a deeply contextual perspective, from the political undercurrents of COP negotiations to the role of the media in shaping environmental awareness: While Pakistan’s climate story often begins with floods and ends with loss, journalists now have the opportunity to document “stories of adaptation, innovation, and resilience that rarely make it to the front page.”
Gender, Equity, and Representation
Aisha Khan, CEO of the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC) and Mountain and Glacier Protection Organization (MGPO), spotlighted how climate change amplifies gender inequalities. Her presentation, “Gender, Equity, and Representation in Pakistan’s Climate Discourse,” blended data and storytelling to argue that climate change is not gender-neutral but a social justice issue.
Using the 2022 floods as a case study, she shared stories of women like Seema Chandio from Sindh, whose family rebuilt their home from scratch after three months under water. “When women’s stories are heard,” Aisha reminded the audience, “communities rise stronger.” She also recommended empowering women in climate stories, not presenting them too much as victims.
Her call to action was clear: center women’s voices, train journalists in gender-sensitive storytelling, and bridge the gap between technical policy language and accessible public communication in local languages.
AI and OSINT for Climate Storytelling
The hands-on segment of the day, led by Daud Khan, investigative and multimedia journalist, focused on how AI and Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) can expand the toolkit of environmental reporters.
Participants explored real-time data platforms such as Global Forest Watch, Google Flood Hub, MarineTraffic, Flight Radar and IQAir, learning how satellite imagery, social media data, and sensor networks can help verify environmental claims, track deforestation, or map air quality.
“Good climate journalism,” Daud explained, “is no longer limited by geography. Public data, AI, and satellite tools now allow local journalists to hold global actors accountable, with evidence.”
His session drew an enthusiastic response from participants, many of whom appreciated the practical demonstration of how to visualize and cross-verify environmental data for storytelling.
Panel Discussion: Narratives of Hope
The afternoon Panel Discussion, “Narratives of Hope: Reporting Local Climate Solutions,” moderated by Dr. Shafiq Ahmad Kamboh from the University of the Punjab, provided a platform for dialogue among practitioners and educators.
Panelists Fawad Ali, environmental journalist, and Dr. Huma Sadaf, In-charge of the Climate Desk at PTV Punjab, spoke about the challenges of keeping climate reporting consistent in mainstream media and the need to move beyond coverage limited to disasters.
The conversation delved into how journalists can frame climate stories around innovation, resilience, and community-led change. The discussion generated lively engagement from the audience, many participants raised questions about newsroom constraints, ethical storytelling, and strategies to sustain audience interest in environmental stories.
From the Classroom to the Community
In his closing remarks, Dr. Altaf Khan thanked the speakers, participants, and organizing team, reiterating FCCU’s commitment to climate journalism education. He emphasized the need for continuous collaboration between universities, media professionals, and international partners.
The day ended with conversations and discussions carried on about future collaborations, student projects, and new ways to bring climate storytelling into classrooms and newsrooms.
