Pakistani, Indian reporters explore climate, waste disposal
(Kathmandu, Nepal)—On day four of the Cross Border Reporting workshop with Indian and Pakistani journalists, we got to venture out into the field for interviews.

Shree Saraswoti School, impacted by flooding

I tagged along with the environmental reporting group, expertly led by Sara Shipley, a professor at the University of Missouri. We visited two sites. The first, an elementary school, exemplified urban flooding, a major problem here exacerbated by climate change. The journalists interviewed a local climate activist and teacher on how urban flooding disproportionately impacts poor and marginalized communities. The second site visit was less glamorous—a waste sorting facility, or if you prefer, dump. We took a brief, malodorous tour, and interviewed a local climate reporter and several waste management officials from the city of Kathmandu about the numerous waste disposal challenges here.

Interviewing climate change expert

It will be interesting to see how these journalists apply the information they learned on the field trip to stories they’re producing about climate change in India and Pakistan.

On this same day, three other groups took field trips to other sites around Nepal including a farm and a health care center.

Next week, I’ll wrap my coverage of the conference, sponsored by the East West Center and underwritten by the U.S. Embassy-Islamabad.

 

At a waste sorting facility, Kathmandu