Combating climate misinformation in MENA’s environmental crises
The impact of last month’s devastating Storm Daniel on Libya’s eastern provinces saw the urgent need for access to information during environmental crises undermined by local authorities, as journalists and activists struggled to report from the flood-ravaged region. In the coastal city of Derna, flashwaters decimated two aging dams, erasing entire neighbourhoods and leaving thousands dead, and thousands missing or displaced. The UN said most of the casualties could have been prevented if early warning and emergency management systems were in place to facilitate the city’s evacuation. The tragic event illustrates the real human cost of failing to communicate and disseminate vital climate information to people in a timely manner — information that could potentially save lives.
While authorities blamed climate change and ‘God’s will’ for the disaster, human rights groups have called for an independent investigation to ensure accountability in a country mired in a culture of impunity.Hundreds of angry residents launched a protest to demand local authorities be held accountable for their failure to maintain the neglected infrastructure and provide sufficient warning about the coming storm. Libya’s eastern provinces, ruled over by General Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan Armed Forces (LAAF), ordered local and foreign journalists to leave Derna a day after the mass demonstration, with authorities blaming them for impeding rescue efforts. Although the order was rescinded the following day, journalists were instructed not to talk to rescue teams and reported being closely monitored by military media agents, with interpreters ordered by officials not to translate any critical commentary.
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