How village rain stories shape climate action ^{CEFR B2}

Emily Wanja Nderitu works at the intersection of storytelling and climate policy. At COP30 in Belem, Brazil, she argued that African village stories about rain, planting and water should shape global priorities. Nderitu is part of Doc Society and has focused for nearly ten years on who gets to tell climate stories and how those narratives can continue to influence policy after a conference ends. She sums this view succinctly: "COP is an event. Climate is not an event."

She leads two linked initiatives, the Democracy Story Unit and the Climate Story Labs, which bring together storytellers, scientists and policymakers. They ask which stories are needed in particular places and how to ensure the stories live beyond the screen and create real impact. Her early work includes serving as impact producer in 2016 for the documentary Thank You for the Rain, which follows Kenyan farmer Kisilu Musya from farming into climate campaigning.

Nderitu highlights everyday, practical knowledge about delayed rains, crops and livestock, and argues that this knowledge is an important resource for adaptation that global platforms sometimes ignore. She gives clear examples: a film screening in Kenya led to a town hall that pushed leaders to revise a water policy, and a South African photo project inspired a school garden programme. She believes that empathy and well-told local stories can make people care, and that caring often leads to action and different kinds of climate diplomacy.