Xu KeXin from China Business Week at the windfarm Lillegrunden off the shores of Copenhagen. Photo: Helle Nordberg/IMS.

The UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen in 2009 helped open the eyes of the Chinese media and public to climate change and environmental issues, according to two Chinese energy and environment journalists visiting Copenhagen this week

The impressive blades of 48 massive wind turbines rotate steadily above the boat carrying 10 Chinese journalists participating in a five-day climate workshop in Denmark organised by IMS. The group, comprising environment journalists from some of China’s largest daily newspapers, news agencies, online media and radio, are visiting one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, Lillegrunden. The topic is energy extracted by wind turbines and leading experts from the Danish Wind Industry Association, Risø Laboratory for Sustainable Development, and the turbine manufacturing companies ABB and Siemens have joined the group on the boat to share their know-how.

-  Since the economic crisis hit the world, new energy sources have been a hot topic in China, says Xu KeXin, energy journalist on one of China’s leading business papers, China Business News.

Environmental journalism in China gaining ground

Focus on climate change and environmental issues including environment-friendly and cost-efficient energy production has also increased significantly following Chinese media’s coverage of COP15 in December 2009, according to Editor-In-Chief Wang Yao of the online version of China Youth Daily, one of China’s biggest dailies with headquarters in Beijing.

- There were more than 100 journalists from China, including myself, in Copenhagen to cover COP15. Now I hope to set up a new online section as part of my paper’s web edition which deals with environment and links into the low-carbon economy.

- COP15 was an opportunity to tell people that climate change is not only for governments and the media or about ice in the North and South Pole. Climate change is linked to everyone. The articles helped raise awareness, says Wang Yao.

Xu KeXin of China Business News, agrees that COP15 helped put climate change on the Chinese media’s – and subsequently the public’s agenda.

- At the beginning of last year [2009], no one knew or cared about climate change in China. But In the months before the conference, this changed. My news group sent five journalists to Copenhagen to cover the issues, says Xu Kexin. 

Localising the story

Environment and climate change journalism has thus been strengthened, and according to both Wang Yao and Xu KeXin, it is not difficult to find space for environment-related articles placed in media.

-  The China Youth Daily does local environment and climate change stories for the general person on the street about how they can lead a more environment-friendly lifestyle and reduce their CO2 emission, Wang Yao explains.

- One of my stories was titled “Do you dare drink tap-water in China” about the quality of the water. I had always been told not to drink it since I was a child and there was a need to improve it.  

Investigative reporting into wrongdoings by companies or authorities affecting the environment can be more difficult. But there are examples where environmental stories have put pressure on local government to act because of cases uncovered in the media. 

- Sometimes it is about working your story faster than local government can react, Xu Kexin explains. 

Environment and energy fit

The five-day workshop in Copenhagen for the 12 Chinese journalists features visits to the Rockwool Group, the world’s leading producer of stone wool used for insulation, a cluster of low-energy constructed houses, and meetings with Danish environment journalists, representatives of Denmark’s leading energy company DONG as well as with the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy.

- The fact that Denmark has one ministry dealing with both climate and energy is important and something which I will write about when I get back. In China, the link between the two would not be seen as obvious, but it is clear that they fit together, says Editor-in-chief Wang Yao.

Read more about environmental journalism in China here.