Young Environmental Journalists Combat Climate Ignorance Worldwide

A new generation of environmental journalists is taking on the challenge of exposing climate ignorance across the Global South, armed with fresh perspectives and deep connections to their communities. The sixth cohort of Mongabay’s Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellows—spanning Malaysia, India, Colombia, Brazil, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—represents a diverse wave of voices determined to tell the stories that matter most for our planet’s future.

These emerging journalists reject the notion that “ignorance is bliss” when it comes to environmental crises. Instead, they view ignorance as journalism’s greatest enemy—something to be exposed rather than embraced. Their mission becomes more urgent each day, as evidenced by scenes like Delhi residents struggling to breathe in one of the world’s most polluted cities, a stark symbol of our collective environmental neglect.

In their commentary series “Our Letters to the Future,” these young reporters share personal reflections on environmental journalism and conservation, drawing from six months of intensive fellowship training and their firsthand experiences in their home communities. They face a common challenge: when discussing their environmental focus, people often ask not “What will you do about it?” but “Why do you care?”

This question reveals a troubling disconnect that these journalists are working to bridge. By combining local knowledge with global perspectives, they’re positioned to tell environmental stories that resonate across cultures while highlighting the shared challenges facing communities worldwide. Their work represents hope for more informed, engaged environmental reporting in regions most vulnerable to climate change.