Pakistan’s Smog Crisis Made Headlines.
This Cohort Learned How to Cover It.
The 2nd Cohort of the Diploma in Climate Journalism ran from December 2025 to February 2026. With 20 specialized lectures, a live crisis simulation, and advanced data journalism training, this was the most comprehensive climate journalism program ever conducted in Pakistan.
Climate Crisis Communication Is Now a Professional Imperative
When smog paralyzed Lahore in November 2025 and the Air Quality Index crossed 1,000 for five consecutive days, Pakistan’s newsrooms scrambled. Schools closed. Flights diverted. An India-Pakistan blame game dominated coverage while the actual story, the crop burning data, the transboundary pollution science, and the public health implications, went largely untold or was told badly.
This is the defining challenge of our media landscape: climate crises are becoming more frequent, more complex, and more politically charged, but Pakistan’s journalism workforce has not kept pace with the technical knowledge required to cover them responsibly and powerfully.
The 2nd Cohort of the Diploma in Climate Journalism was built on this reality. Running from December 2025 to February 2026, this 12-week advanced program trained working journalists from across Pakistan in the full spectrum of modern climate journalism, from the fundamentals of climate communication framing to data visualization, digital-first storytelling, and live crisis simulation exercises.
This was not a repeat of the first cohort. It was a deliberate evolution: more lectures, more specialized trainers, deeper coverage of Pakistani contexts, and a curriculum structure that challenged participants to move from reactive disaster coverage to proactive investigative and solutions-focused reporting.
Who This Cohort Was For
- Working journalists from across Pakistan
- Fresh graduates in journalism and media sciences
- Social science graduates transitioning to climate media
- Digital content creators covering environment beats
- Broadcast journalists seeking climate specialization
The Smog Emergency Lockdown Simulation
The capstone exercise of the 2nd Cohort placed participants inside a real-world scenario: November 2025, Lahore. The Air Quality Index has crossed 1,000 for five consecutive days. Schools are closed. Flights are diverted. An India-Pakistan blame game is dominating the airwaves. Punjab’s government is considering a two-week smog lockdown.
Participants had to communicate highly technical crop-burning and transboundary pollution data to the public, counter competing national narratives, and explain unprecedented government restrictions to a frightened public. This simulation tested not just journalism skills but crisis communication under pressure, the most demanding test of a climate journalist’s capability.
We stopped writing about climate change as if it were something happening somewhere else. This course taught us it is happening here, now, and it is our job to make people understand that.
Trained by Pakistan’s Leading Climate Communicators
Guest trainers included Dr. Uzma Aleem from the University of Sydney (Data Journalism), Uzma Mushtaq (Social Media), Uneeba Waqar (Electronic Media), and Afia Salam, one of Pakistan’s most respected climate communication experts. The cohort concluded with a virtual farewell ceremony celebrating the professional growth of working journalists from across the country.
Pakistan’s Climate Story
Needs Skilled Journalists to Tell It
Register now to be notified when the next cohort of the Diploma in Climate Journalism opens. Seats are limited and selection is merit-based.