Ms Celene Craig:

On behalf of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, I thank you, a Chathaoirligh, and members of the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action for the invitation to address it on the topic of climate change and the media. This is the first occasion on which the BAI has been invited to the committee and we are very pleased to be here. As the Chair mentioned, I am joined by my colleagues, Ms Stephanie Comey, assistant CEO, and Mr. Declan McLoughlin, senior manager with the BAI.

The BAI is the independent regulator for broadcasting in Ireland, established further to the Broadcasting Act 2009. The BAI has responsibility for a broad range of activities including the licensing, regulation and support of independent and public service broadcast media in Ireland. Under the BAI's broadcasting funding scheme, the BAI also provides funding schemes for programmes and archiving relating to Irish culture, heritage and experience.

The BAI recognises the vital role the Irish radio and television sector has in communicating to the public about climate change. In the current climate emergency, this role continues to be of great public importance. For this reason the BAI has in its current and previous strategy statements included specific obligations that commit the BAI to leading, modelling and promoting high standards of environmental, economic and social practice, in line with the UN sustainable development goals. In the case of the environment, we have undertaken a range of actions to promote environmental sustainability and to support broadcasters in fulfilling their public duty to keep audiences at community, local and national levels informed about climate change and its impact. I will briefly touch on those actions now.

In November 2020 the BAI launched the broadcasting sustainability network. The network's focus is to support broadcasters and programme makers to achieve greater sustainability via peer support, learning and development. The network has approximately 40 members representing nearly all broadcasters, including all the major television broadcasters, the independent radio sector and the community radio and television sector, as well as representative bodies such as Screen Producers Ireland and Screen Ireland. The network has developed a roadmap for a sustainable broadcasting sector to guide its members on the actions they need to take to develop a plan for sustainable action and provides examples of what this might look like in practice. The roadmap has been given practical effect via a range of initiatives, including a focus on both energy efficiency and climate literacy. Most recently members of the network participated in a five-week climate literacy course run in conjunction with the Dublin City University, DCU, centre for climate and society. Topics covered included the science of climate change, climate communications for media organisations, climate change in popular culture, and climate change politics, policy and governance. Wider science literacy, including on climate literacy, has also been supported by public webinars organised separately by Media Literacy Ireland, an initiative supported by the BAI.

The BAI's sound and vision scheme, funded from the broadcasting funding scheme, which, in turn, is funded from the television licence fee, has facilitated funding for programming focused on sustainability since its inception. In 2022 the BAI facilitated a special round of sound and vision focusing on climate change and climate awareness with funding from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The authority considered and approved in principle the radio and television programmes to be funded under this special round of the sound and vision scheme and it is expected that funding announcements will be made in the coming weeks.

I turn now to BAI support for adoption of the Albert carbon calculator. In respect of the wider Irish audiovisual sector, the BAI is a member of the ScreenGreening coalition initiated by Screen Producers Ireland and supported by broadcasters, screen production bodies and Fís Éireann-Screen Ireland. Our involvement includes the part-funding of the use of the Albert sustainable production tools by the audiovisual sector in Ireland. Albert is an environmental organisation aiming to encourage the TV and film production industry to reduce waste and its carbon footprint. The ongoing use of its production tools in Ireland is facilitating programme makers to embed environmental and sustainability practices in how they operate and produce quality programming.

On the matter of programme and commercial content, all broadcasters must comply with the BAI's codes and standards. In respect of news and current affairs, coverage of climate change must comply with the BAI code of fairness, objectivity and impartiality in news and current affairs. In the case of commercial content, commercial claims are regulated by the BAI general commercial communications code. Any member of the public may make a complaint to the BAI about programme or commercial content that does not comply with either of these codes.

In the middle of last month, the BAI invited public comments and observations on these and other broadcasting codes. We are looking for any and all views on the codes but the document published also invited specific input on a number of topics of relevance to today’s hearing. In particular, we are asking whether the news and current affairs code should deal specifically with climate change. Likewise, we are asking whether our commercial communications code should include requirements on environmental claims in advertising. The closing date for observations is 21 December.

Before the year is out, the Houses of the Oireachtas will have passed legislation introducing a new regulatory framework for media in Ireland, including the establishment of a new regulator, coimisiún na meán. An coimisiún will have as one of its primary functions the support of environmental sustainability. In addition, the report of the Future of Media Commission includes a set of recommendations supported by Government that will support enhanced sustainability in the broadcasting sector. The Climate Action Plan 2021 sets out a role for the BAI and the new regulator in supporting the objectives of the plan. The BAI welcomes all these developments and will continue to implement them and provide support for their implementation.

In conclusion, I again thank the committee for the opportunity to discuss the role of media and communications in actioning climate change and look forward to answering any questions members may have.