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 August, 2022
China’s COVID tests carry on despite heatwaves, droughts, power cuts and wildfires
China has been hit with the most severe heatwave and drought in its history. However, the natural disasters have not deterred the country from conducting widespread COVID-19 tests.
We must question colonialism in legal discourse, says Colombian lawyer
"I believe that we need a legal system that takes into account the land that we share with multiple beings (...) and that includes in the legal analysis the knowledge of the ancestral peoples."
Climate change threatens Indigenous farming and cultures in the Brazilian Amazon
These changes jeopardize the food and ways of life of the Indigenous peoples who cultivate crops following traditional farming practices in the region of São Gabriel in Brazil's northwest Amazonas state
Rising sea levels in Bangladesh are driving women to take the pill to stop menstruating
Many girls and women in the coastal areas of Bangladesh who don't have access to fresh water are taking birth control pills, often stolen from married women to stop their periods.
Opening of shipping routes from Ukraine will not abate commodity and food pressure on the Middle East and North Africa
Despite the opening up of shipping routs for grain exports from Ukraine, persistent challenges from the war will continue to exacerbate pressures on the Middle East and North Africa
The sweltering traffic congestion on the roads of Lagos in Nigeria
Driving in Lagos, it seems as though everyone is angry or mad. But fear not, soon enough, you notice yourself acting mad too.
The story of a development project that destroyed a village in Angola
Canal works began in late 2019 and aim to mitigate the effects of drought, lack of rain, and water shortages in Cunene province.
Why do seabirds eat plastic? How a citizen science project in Poland is helping to find answers
What started out as a question about why sea birds mistake plastic for food, ended up as a successful citizen science project.
Brazilian lawyer after murders in the Amazon: ‘We need the state to maintain a presence in the region’
Eliesio Marubo recounted the efforts made in the search for Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips, and talked about the demands the Indigenous movement is making to state institutions.