World Radio Day 2025 is dedicated to the theme of “Radio and Climate Change” as broadcasters grapple with the need for increased coverage of wildfires and other environmental disasters.
Celebrated on Feb. 13 every year since a United Nations (UN) proclamation in 2012, UNESCO says this year’s World Radio Day is intended to highlight radio broadcasters’ efforts to equip listeners with the information they need to better understand and tackle the climate crisis.
That includes radio’s place, as highlighted by the recent L.A. fires, as an important source of information in an emergency that can reach a large number of people at the same time, without electricity, internet, or the threat of satellite disruption.
UNESCO is encouraging broadcasters to add regular features to their newscasts dedicated to climate change and its emergencies, including networking with other stations, to tackle the issue.
The agency acknowledges that many radio stations, in a time of financial challenges, are struggling with increasingly tight staffing resources, against a backdrop of a growing amount of misinformation.
“The spread of misinformation and disinformation on climate change is a growing challenge, reinforced by the multiplication of voices expressing themselves on the subject, notably through social networks,” the agency stated in a release. “Radio broadcasters, as vectors of credible, sourced and verified information, are thus essential to expose false news. The bond of trust that binds them to their listeners makes their programming a privileged space for raising awareness of climate change, environmental issues and natural disasters.”
Your station can learn more about World Radio Day audio-visual and networking resources, here.
