By Chessa Pae Faustino, STRATCOM Correspondent

Mr. Edmar Delos Santos, a faculty member and alumnus of MMSU, covered the United Nations Climate Change Conference – also known as the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) – held from November 17 to 22 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

His participation was part of a reporting fellowship, following his selection as one of two climate journalists from the Philippines chosen by the Philippine Network of Environmental Journalists and Deutsche Welle (DW) Akademie to cover the event.

During the fellowship, Mr. Delos Santos published three video reports for Rappler, a leading online news platform in the Philippines. These reports featured a walkthrough of the COP29 venue in Azerbaijan, Filipino youth delegates advocating for climate justice and increased climate finance goals at the conference, and Filipino farmers promoting agroecology as a solution for achieving climate-resilient food systems.

Furthermore, these reports were pitched and approved by DW Akademie. While the fellowship required the creation of two solutions journalism videos highlighting actionable climate solutions, Mr. Delos Santos exceeded expectations by producing additional media content including videos and photographs documenting civil society demonstrations at the venue.

Attending a global climate summit for the first time, Mr. Delos Santos described the experience as both rewarding and challenging. The vast array of overlapping events and negotiations at COP29 made it difficult for journalists to identify and prioritize stories. Despite these hurdles, Mr. Delos Santos remained committed to amplifying the voices of Filipino civil society groups and highlighting the causes they championed.

The fellowship also enhanced Mr. Delos Santos’ journalistic craft, providing him with valuable insights into contextualizing climate stories across different sectors. He emphasized that climate change is not solely a scientific issue but a deeply social one, impacting communities in multifaceted ways.

“Aside from understanding the critical role of communicators in telling stories about the environment and the impacts of climate change on various sectors, I also gained insights into the unique challenges faced by developing countries in addressing the climate crisis,” he shared.

Post the fellowship, Mr. Delos Santos plans to incorporate his experiences and insights into his communication classes at MMSU. Additionally, he intends to write more climate-focused stories as a freelance journalist, aiming to mainstream climate journalism.

This year’s COP29 focused on climate finance for developing nations affected by the climate crisis, with Azerbaijan leading negotiations among nearly 200 countries. A new climate finance goal was set, requiring wealthy nations to contribute $300 billion annually by 2035 –falling short of the $1.3 trillion demanded by the Global South.