Campaigns

Environmental journalists face increasing threats, including violence and imprisonment, while also navigating the shift to digital media and combating climate disinformation. INEJ would like to act their advocacy and for their protection, and partner the new initiatives who are helping journalists cover climate change more effectively through training and technology.

Key issues in environmental journalism

• Threats and violence: Environmental journalists face significant risks, with reports from Reporters sans frontières and The Guardian noting that many are attacked, threatened, or killed for their work investigating issues like illegal mining, deforestation, and land exploitation.
• Disinformation: Journalists are fighting against the spread of climate and environmental disinformation, which is amplified through online platforms.
• Shifting media landscape: The industry is adapting to declining engagement with traditional media and a rise in social media, video, and online platforms, especially in countries in the Global South.
• Access to information: Obstacles include restrictions on journalists’ access to certain territories and the pending freedom of information laws in some countries. 

Initiatives and solutions

• Advocacy for protection: Organizations like Reporters sans frontières are actively highlighting cases and calling on governments to protect environmental journalists. A new declaration from COP30 aims to promote information integrity on climate change.
• Training and capacity building: Groups like the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance and the Oxford Climate Journalism Network offer training to improve climate literacy and provide resources for journalists, including on using technology.
• Use of AI: Artificial intelligence is being used to help analyze large datasets, such as satellite imagery, to identify environmental changes more efficiently, though potential biases in AI models are a concern.
• Solutions journalism: Some journalists are shifting towards “solutions journalism” to provide stories about successful actions and inspire their audience to take action.