Over the last decade, natural disasters have become increasingly severe, frequent, and dangerous and have impacted more and more people around the world. Wildfires have ravaged nations and terrorized towns; coastal ecosystems have been damaged — some beyond repair, impacting our fishing industries, tourism, and other wildlife; and island nations and coastal communities have seen their land wash away and disappear as if it was never there. But even as more people take notice of the changes wrought by the climate crisis, our governments’ responses have been lackluster and our media landscape has failed to reflect the reality on the ground.
These changes have already been affecting low-income, coastal, and Indigenous communities for decades, even as community leaders have called for decisive international climate action — calls that have too often gone unheeded. While it is understandably easy to turn to despair amid this crisis, those who are most affected by these changes do not have that luxury, and are instead seeking out innovative, community-based climate solutions. Global Voices hopes to promote these stories of resilience by reporting on environmental stories through an intersectional lens that prioritizes local knowledge and experiences.
To that end, our community has established the Green Voices initiative — a collective of environmentally focused journalists, translators, and stakeholders who seek to use our global perspective to raise awareness about environmental issues and those affected by them. Green Voices meets virtually twice a month to discuss environmental news in our communities, identify underrepresented voices, plan our coverage of these topics, and offer support in a field that can often feel overwhelming. In a true Global Voices spirit, we believe that insightful journalism is made possible by community, companionship, and collaboration.
Each month, approximately 15–20 percent of Global Voices’ articles address environmental challenges or advocacy efforts around the world. We are committed to sharing underreported stories about the climate crisis and environmental exploitation, with a particular focus on rural communities and local initiatives guided by women and Indigenous groups aimed at preserving, bolstering, or rehabilitating the environment. We leverage Global Voices’ international community to report on issues that are often reduced to abstract data with nuance, humanity, and a local perspective.
Some stories that have grown out of Green Club collaborations include “How a swimming pool became Puerto Rico's symbol of climate change and corruption,” “Kanal Istanbul, Turkey's Middle Corridor, and the Belt and Road Initiative,” and “How Assamese Villages use traditional wisdom to guide climate preparedness.” Our stories explore these issues from an intersectional perspective, revealing how environmental issues can impact women, youth, people with disabilities, and vulnerable populations, and can exacerbate existing inequalities.
If you would like to participate in Green Voices or join the discussion, email our green club coordinator Sydney Allen!
See some of our recent environmental stories below.
Stories about Green Voices from April, 2022
‘Defending life:’ Indigenous way of life imperative to solving climate crisis
“Defending life means protecting the living conditions of biodiversity in order to continue to exist," Nahuatl journalist Miryam Vargas says.
Inflation, youth, and protests in Mongolia
In a movement soon known as the "Do Your Job!" protests, youth urged the government to do their job, as they protested against corruption, injustice, debt burden and inflation.
Nepal’s journey to electric public transport
The three buses out of a fleet of 40 battery-powered buses imported by the Sajha Yatayat cooperative public transport service from China have arrived in Nepal and will start operation.
Abuse, arrests, and harassment: How environmental activists fare in Vietnam
"Harassment, intimidation, and imprisonment are just some of the tactics Vietnam uses to silence environmental activists."
What Earth Day means to the Global Voices Caribbean team
'On Earth Day, we pause to think about the planet we live on and share with other beings. But that’s just one part of it.'
Just in time for Earth Day, Trinidad & Tobago gets a new bat
Scientists record a new bat species in Trinidad and Tobago, bringing the total number of locally recorded bat species to an astounding 70.
Despite what we think, the press does not live in a free paradise in Ecuador
It is necessary to question the notion that the media have full and free space to act, without threats, in Ecuador.
‘Ancestral medicine is wisdom, not witchcraft or folklore,’ says Ecuadorian philosopher
Ecuadorian philosopher and writer Tayta Sinchi explains why it is imperative to learn about the fundamentals of ancestral medicine.
Reframing narratives about climate change in Bolivia’s Gran Chaco region
What happens when a region’s “media ecosystem” is less diverse than the populations that inhabit it? Rising Voices explored that question about the coverage of climate change in the Gran Chaco region in Bolivia.
Podcast: Pakistan's government, COVID-19 in Shanghai, and introducing Green Voices
This week we hear from Shanghai and Lahore, and find out about Green Voices.
Tropical storm Megi causes deadly landslides and floods on Leyte Island in the Philippines
Aside from the landslide in Leyte, the tropical storm also caused floods in other parts of the Visayas Islands in the central Philippines.
Citizens push back on Palau’s plan to open marine sanctuary to commercial fishing and exploration
"...We believe there is a multitude of unexplored alternatives resulting in sustainable revenues that return social and environmental gains."
As international negotiations end in Jamaica, the threat of deep-sea mining hangs over the world's oceans
From the impact on global fisheries to destruction of carbon storage on the seabed, environmentalists say deep-seabed mining could herald even more catastrophic effects for climate change.
Mass coral bleaching of Australia's Great Barrier Reef goes under the media radar
This week Will Smith got more media coverage for bad behaviour than the ongoing decline of the world’s coral reefs.