Pretoria - Government and the media have been urged form a partnership to educate the public about climate change issues.
Speaking at a Public Broadcasting Climate Change workshop jointly hosted by Government of Communication and Information System (GCIS) and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Deputy Minister in the Presidency Dina Pule urged the media to go all out to educate the public about climate change.
During the workshop, the SABC and government signed a memorandum of understanding to achieve this goal.
"We all need to understand climate change and all of us as South Africans must participate," she said, adding that all citizens needed to understand what the country's position was regarding climate change.
Pule said she was confident the upcoming COP17 conference would "leave a good footprint for the world".
SABC acting Chief Executive Officer Phil Molefe echoed Pule's sentiments, saying that climate change issues must be aired on radio and TV.
"We are ready to ensure that the public is educated on climate change and COP17 issues," he said.
South Africa will host the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban next month.
Pule said a lot of work has been done in preparation for the conference, which will be attended by Heads of State from Africa and the rest of the world.
The deputy minister said she was confident that the decisions that would be taken at COP17 would influence the world.
