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 September, 2022
‘Where’s the President?’ trends as super typhoon batters the Philippines
"How tone deaf and insensitive can you be to post a vlog about your New York trip while Filipinos brace for the impact of super typhoon."
The wolf is being targeted and killed in North Macedonia
North Macedonia is among the last countries in Europe where the wolf is considered a pest and is freely killed, although it's categorized as "near threatened" (NT).
Macedonian mountains are full of abandoned dogs which are threatening the endangered lynx
In North Macedonia, abandoned dogs are taken off city streets and dumped by municipal dog catchers in the mountains where they join wolves and hybridize.
‘It's not drought, it's plundering,’ criminalized activists say of new law in Querétaro, Mexico
Access to water conflicts are leaving their mark on this Mexican state's recent history. Those protesting against the concession of water to private operators have been criminalized.
Can environmental conservation and tourism exist together harmoniously?
"Ecotourism is an illustration of the wider phenomenon facing climate action: the interests of economic development are all too often diametrically opposed to the interests of environmentalism."
Two decades of renewable energy in a remote Isneg community in Northern Philippines
"The Katablangan project is a story of the Cordillera’s abundant source of renewable energy that is harnessed by culturally-sensitive and appropriate technology for the benefit of its people."
Devastating Pakistan floods put climate change and climate justice under spotlight
The recent devastating floods in Pakistan have put the spotlight back on climate justice. A combination of factors such as extreme heatwave, melting glaciers and unusually heavy monsoons triggered floods.
Peer under the sea of the Indonesian archipelago through this photo essay
Many of the creatures featured in this piece, as well as our coastal economies, are under threat as the climate crisis warms ocean waters and threatens coastal ecosystems