Southeast Asia has seen the problem of plastic waste grow in urgency as fast-paced urbanisation, a reliance on single-use plastic products, and continued plastic production have made plastic a convenient choice for its population of over 650 million people. The region is also a major contributor to plastic pollution in oceans: according to the World Economic Forum, only five countries — four of them in Southeast Asia — produce all of the world’s plastic waste harming marine life: China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam. Recent data from the World Bank shows that this problem is exacerbated by the fact that only 25 percent of the material value of plastic in Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand is recycled and recovered.
While local governments in Southeast Asian countries have started to address the issue of single- use plastics by implementing plastic bans in the last few years, the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying demand for personal protective equipment — which are often made from plastic — have reversed much of the progress on curbing plastic use. This reality, however, has not been explicitly depicted by the media in the region. For instance, in the vast majority of the 750 articles published across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam that were analyzed by Climate Tracker, the pandemic was not even mentioned at all.
This webinar aims to use the findings of the media research report prepared by Climate Tracker
as a springboard for a broader discussion of how Southeast Asian journalists can better communicate the plastic waste crisis — whether to influential policymakers or everyday news consumers — and how civil society organizations can more effectively support journalists in this important task. It will be followed by a Q&A between participants and panelists.
DATE: Wednesday 30th June, 2021
TIME: 5pm (Philippines time)
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
Jed is the Senior Communications Officer for Asia Pacific of #breakfreefromplastic. Since joining the movement in 2017, he has been instrumental in leading Asia Pacific’s communications work and in organizing capacity-building workshops on communications and campaigning for members in the region.
He also teaches post-graduate courses on leadership communications, conflict resolution and disaster risk reduction-climate change adaptation at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Government (ASoG) Master in Public Management Program where he earned his first post-graduate degree in 2014.
Patricia Valerio has almost nine years of experience as an analyst, writer, and editor in international development, ESG investing, and media. In 2020 she graduated with a master’s in public policy from the Central European University and the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals on a full scholarship.
She also has a master’s specialising in Southeast Asia from the University of the Philippines. Her published work has been cited in reports by the UN, the World Bank, and the OECD, among other institutions.
Heng Kiah Chun has a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry and experience in organising the mobilisation of people and building networks for partnership development.
An advocate for strengthening civil society engagement in environmental issues, Heng Kiah Chun is involved in imported plastic waste investigations in Malaysia from 2018 to 2020. Here are some findings in 2018 report and 2020 report.
Rahyang Nusantara has more than 8 years of experience in environmental campaigns. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Padjadjaran University, Bandung (2012) and a Masters in Communication Science from Paramadina University, Jakarta (2019). He currently works as the National Coordinator of the Indonesia Plastic Bag Diet Movement.
He is also a core member of the Break Free From Plastic Movement, Regional Advisory Committee at the Global Alliance for Alternative Incineration (GAIA), and Network Coordinator at the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Youth – Indonesia
We look forward to seeing you there!!