The first Central Asian Data Lab “Visualization of Environmental Data” has concluded its work in Bishkek. The main idea is to train journalists and civic activists from the region’s countries to work with large volumes of environmental information.
The importance of discussing the ecological issues of Central Asian countries as a single problem and the necessity of using data sets for this is stated by Elmira Jumakadyrova, the regional manager of the Internews project “Media for Effective Coverage of Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Issues in Central Asia.”
“Azattyk”: How relevant is the Data Lab at the moment? What goals does it pursue?
Jumakadyrova: Today, in Central Asia, to qualitatively cover ecological issues, it is important to assist two specialists. On one hand, the journalist – to teach him how to work with data correctly, not to be afraid of large volumes and meticulous work, to distinguish numbers from other information, to decode the meanings behind them, and to convey those meanings to the audience accessibly and without distortion. On the other hand – the civic activist, who can operate with data but does not know how to convey the essence of a 500-page report to the average citizen, how to visually illustrate digital data with simple examples from life.
“Azattyk”: Why is data important? What role do they play in covering ecological issues and their resolution?
Jumakadyrova: Numbers allow one to reasonably speak about the state of the environment, about positive or negative changes in it. Without them, it is impossible to realize not only the importance of addressing the issue but also the necessity of its resolution. For example, the latest loud news that it has not been so hot on Earth for 115,000 years as it has been in the last three years, from 2014 to 2016, would not have emerged if it were not supported by numbers – a large volume of meteorological observational data.
“Azattyk”: Who in Central Asia, particularly in Kyrgyzstan, is engaged in collecting data on ecology? How quality, systematic, and accessible is it?
Jumakadyrova: In each of our countries, there are environmental protection agencies that publish national reports on the state of the environment annually. They contain information on several dozen indicators; these are comprehensive reports. In Kyrgyzstan, unfortunately, the most recent data is from 2014.
According to the Aarhus Convention, which all countries in the region signed except Uzbekistan, environmental data should be publicly available. However, they can hardly be called completely open – they are not always provided or not provided at all. Not only an ordinary interested citizen but also the media and environmentalists must exercise patience when dealing with the bureaucratic apparatus and be prepared for refusals to provide data. It should be noted that in recent years the situation is gradually improving; some agencies have become more open to cooperation and work more promptly.
“Azattyk”: What other problems await specialists during the collection and use of environmental data?
Jumakadyrova: A major issue is the systematization of data, their digitization, and machine readability. Another important point is that little attention is paid to promoting these databases and their demand among both journalists and the public.
“Azattyk”: Where can an ordinary person find data on the ecology of Kyrgyzstan?
Jumakadyrova: There is a unique web resource of the oldest environmental organization in the republic, BIOM – a library with a large array of data exclusively about Kyrgyzstan. One can read the research results of UNEP (the United Nations Environment Program). In addition, there is the GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation) project – the K-Link portal, which unites reports from 5-6 organizations. The RECCA (Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia) website has a page about Kyrgyzstan with informative publications.
“Azattyk”: Was the Data Lab organized as part of the Internews program “Media for Effective Coverage of Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Issues in Central Asia”? What is the relevance of your project?
Jumakadyrova: We want to improve public access to crucial information about ecology in Central Asia. The first component of the project is developing the capacity of journalists to produce informative yet easily comprehensible materials.
The second is improving cooperation among the media community, the third sector, and government bodies of Central Asian countries. Climate change, land degradation, and air pollution are borderless issues; they are common to the entire region. It is important for the stated specialists in our countries to discuss environmental issues and the use of natural resources together for a common audience.
The third component of the project is our multimedia resource “LIVEN. Living Asia,” which simply, understandably, and professionally tells about ecology.
“Azattyk”: What are the features of environmental journalism in the region?
Jumakadyrova: According to our research, all media in the region cover environmental protection issues to some extent, but they do so in a one-sided manner. Most materials are reprints of official press releases, data from NGOs or international organizations. It is very challenging to find original stories that could attract the reader’s attention to environmental issues. Meanwhile, ecological questions are important alongside political, economic, and social ones – as they directly affect our daily lives.
“Azattyk”: What is the nature of this coverage of ecological issues?
Jumakadyrova: Firstly, it is due to limited resources for producing stories, and a low interest from businesses and advertisers to invest in highlighting ecology. Secondly, journalists do not understand complex terminology and are not skilled at transforming indicators into a language accessible to the reader.
“Azattyk”: How can ecology be discussed today to attract attention?
Jumakadyrova: Today, the majority of the audience consists of what is known as the Millennial generation, those born between 1980-1982 and 1990-1992. These are young people with some life experience, making decisions in their families and deeply involved in information technologies. Their attention can be attracted by discussing global issues through personal stories, explaining what they can specifically do to improve the situation. Materials of a recommended, practical nature resonate more with the audience than regular articles about various problems.
For example, recently the New York Times published its statistics on what Americans read the most. It turned out that the top 5 topics were unrelated to economics, politics, or crime – they were fashion advice, consumer, and household issues. Even the audience of such a large politically engaged resource is interested in simple practical topics.
“Azattyk”: Outline the main environmental problems in our region.
Jumakadyrova: As I have already mentioned, the environmental state in one country will always impact the region as a whole. Therefore, for both Kyrgyzstan and all of Central Asia, the most pressing issues today are:
– climate change is on the agenda worldwide, and we are no exception. Thus, the Paris Agreement of 2015 is important; – air pollution – its condition in the region has severely worsened in recent years; – the drying up of the Aral Sea, related to irrational water use in agricultural irrigation – ordinary people, by the way, can influence this issue by using water resources more rationally; – the reclamation of uranium tailings – a problem inherited from the Soviet Union. Governments of all Central Asian countries allocate funds, but there is a need to engage the international community in this problem.“Azattyk”: For how long is your program designed?
Jumakadyrova: Our project, like others implemented by international organizations, has a beginning and an end. To continue working in this direction, it is necessary to engage business and the government.