World Radio Day 2025

World Radio Day held on February 13, 2025

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In the wake of the continuous increase of negative climatic effects that plague the planet, such as the confirmation that 2024 has been the warmest year on record,the deep devastation caused by the wildfires in California, or the high impact of land degradation on billions of persons, the importance of proper communication of climate events is becoming increasingly important.

If we focus the lens on our immediate future, 2025 is crucial for addressing climate change. According to the Paris Agreement, if we want to limit global warming to 1.5°C, greenhouse gas emissions need to peak by that year at the latest, and then start to decline.

World Radio Day on February 13, 2025, is dedicated to “Radio and Climate Change” to support radio stations in their journalistic coverage of this issue. For 24 hours, our station, Radio Climate Coaching Action scheduling will include UNESCO announcements about World Radio Day.

Get Involved! Use the social media hashtag: #WorldRadioDay

Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Radio Day, 13 February 2025

World Radio Day is an opportunity to celebrate this enduring, versatile and widely accessible means of communication. This year, we are paying tribute to the different ways in which radio serves as a tool for adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate disruption in our rapidly changing world.
Last year, we witnessed rare flooding in the Sahara Desert and the deadly Typhoon Yagi which struck South-East Asia. At a time when such extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common, we must recognize the critical and often life-saving role of radio.

With frequencies that can travel across continents and receivers that use very little energy, radio can reach even the most remote locations and function even when electricity fails. This makes radio a unique medium in crisis situations; by acting as an early warning system, it can reduce disaster risk and save countless lives.

Outside of crisis situations, radio is also a prime source of information for people all around the world. Traditional forms of media are all the more important at a time when artificial intelligence is impacting the reliability and trustworthiness of information online. Misinformation and disinformation continue to be some of the greatest barriers to climate action, making the work of radio journalists pivotal in tackling the climate crisis.

Yet, we know that this is no easy task. A UNESCO report published last year found that there had been 749 attacks – including 44 killings – against journalists and news media outlets reporting on environmental issues between 2009 and 2023, across all regions of the world.

This is why last year’s World Press Freedom Day, co-hosted by UNESCO and Chile, focused on the importance of freedom of information in overcoming the climate crisis. Everyone has the right to access reliable and accurate information on climate and environmental issues – but to enable this, journalists must be able to report freely and safely.

This is also why UNESCO recently launched its Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, together with the United Nations and the Federative Republic of Brazil. This initiative will help promote and defend the integrity of information on climate change, through not only research funding, but also advocacy, diplomacy and strategic action.

Communication and information shape the world we live in – and we must ensure that the information we share and receive is reliable. On this World Radio Day, let us celebrate and protect this powerful form of media and its unique role as we work to address the climate crisis.

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