Building bridges for climate action

Communities in Nepal, Bangladesh and Kenya have one thing in common: they are all on the frontlines of a rapidly changing climate.

Whether it’s increasingly severe monsoons triggering deadly landslides in Nepal, devastating and unpredictable cyclones in Bangladesh, or flash flooding interspersed with changing seasons and drought in Kenya, traditional ways of life are at risk, and people are struggling to adapt.

Our Bridges project is connecting climate scientists, journalists, local leaders and communities to help people adapt and prepare for extreme weather and climate change – by ensuring information is shared in ways that can be easily understood, and that weather forecasts are jargon-free, and include details about how people can prepare their homes and families amid life-threatening weather events.

Audiences might not know what a weather forecaster means if they say a cyclone with a 120 km per hour windspeed is coming in three days, travelling west. But they do understand instructions like the need to protect homes, to evacuate and seek shelter.

Our project

Works to strengthen the capacity of climate scientists, media workers and local leaders to ensure they are able to communicate more clearly in ways that audiences understand about weather and climate information, and ways to prepare for extreme weather events
Creates feedback mechanisms for media partners and government departments that people know about and actively use – such as call centres and toll-free numbers to share information, ahead of and during crises
Works with media houses on producing multi-media content that moves and engages audiences – prompting critical conversations about adapting to a changing environment and preparing for emergencies
Creates tools and resources replicable for other countries and contexts, and
Researches and evaluates our work, to share learning and ensure more sustainable impact

Radio is a key focus in Kenya and Nepal, while social media outputs are a stronger focus in more highly connected Bangladesh.

BRIDGES is a three-year project running until March 2027, funded by Norad.