- In September, Y. Eva Tan Fellow Fernanda Biasoli was invited to speak during Journalism Week at São Paulo State University (UNESP); here, she shares some of the messages she conveyed about environmental journalism, youth and hope as the planet faces crisis.
- “Think, for example, of a river basin,” she writes. “Each spring, stream, creek and river comes together to form a large territory that allows life to flourish. For me, environmental journalism can be seen as one of these streams: a fundamental part of a large democratic ecosystem.”
- Now, more than ever, Biasoli says, the world must unite to inspire and create new ideas — and to keep alive the connection with nature and respect for all beings that inhabit this planet.
- This commentary is part of Our Letters to the Future, a series produced by the Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellows as their final fellowship project. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.
Perhaps it is something inherent to youth, but I am not yet ready to throw in the towel. I admit it: I want the real possibility of dreaming, imagining and building another future for those who will come after me. I want to learn to flow like rivers and put down roots like forests. To live in community like bees and rest in solitude like bears. I want to keep alive the narratives of connection with nature and respect for all other beings that inhabit this planet. But I can’t do it alone.
That’s why I’m so happy when I have the opportunity to share ideas with others who also live on this planet. In September, I participated for the first time in an event as a speaker, holding the microphone in one hand and a glass of water in the other. With the help of two rides, I traveled about 500 kilometers (300 miles) between the city where I currently live and the interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, to chat about “Journalism, the Environment and Youth” with participants in Journalism Week at São Paulo State University (UNESP).
My presence at the event was due to my participation as a Mongabay Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellow, alongside five other young journalists from different parts of the world. In this sixth cohort, we have names from India, Malaysia, Colombia, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and me from Brazil. How powerful is the opportunity to create a network of young environmental journalists? I answer: Very.
So when I was invited to participate in Journalism Week, an event aimed primarily at journalism students, I ignored my beginner’s nervousness and went. I went because I believe in the power of youth to inspire change, in building networks to think about new ideas, and especially in the role of quality environmental journalism in contributing to the protection of our rivers, seas, forests, animals and populations.
And I write “our” because there is no ‘I’ without “us.” Think, for example, of a river basin. Each spring, stream, creek and river comes together to form a large territory that allows life to flourish. For me, environmental journalism can be seen as one of these streams: a fundamental part of a large democratic ecosystem. Instead of crystal-clear waters, we contribute with a flow of quality, responsible and ethical information. And, when possible, with a dose of hope.
In a context of geopolitical transformations, misinformation and an increasingly urgent climate crisis, having hope may seem like an act of stubbornness or naivety, it is true. However, in the right dose, it can also give a push for the planet to take a different course. Today, as a young person and an environmental journalist, I seek to balance the two: the irreverence and creativity of youth with the ethics and care that are intrinsic and necessary to good journalism.
But how can we work with hope in environmental journalism? One possible approach is to cover stories that go beyond tragedy alone. It is undeniable that the world as we know it is changing and that the logic remains the same: Those who have historically been marginalized continue to suffer the worst consequences of these changes. This needs to be in the story, that is certain. But good journalism can contribute even more by providing context, data and evidence. When appropriate, it can also tell stories of solutions.
Here, care must be taken not to confuse: Covering solutions is not covering cheap optimism. Telling only positive stories, without pointing out the gray areas, challenges and limitations, is of very little help. Hope needs to be focused, objective and, above all, active. Telling stories of how communities are seeking solutions to the obstacles they face, if done well, can inspire other communities to believe that they can too.
If limitations are pointed out, the role of a journalist to check facts and provide context is fulfilled. It also leaves room for people to be inspired to overcome these limitations by continuing to build solutions. And last but not least, by providing accessible information, our readers can be better prepared to hold those responsible for the damage and reparations accountable, helping to ensure that solutions are effectively implemented and disseminated.
Mongabay founder Rhett Butler writes, “When we highlight real-world responses — stories of reforestation, Indigenous leadership, coral restoration, and agroecology — we don’t dilute the truth; we expand it. We show that amid the unraveling, people are still choosing to protect what they love.” And love, when practiced alongside active hope, can be a driving force: It moves, transforms and propels. This can also be the role of environmental journalism.
That was some of what I shared with journalism students at UNESP in September. I won’t deny that my heart breaks with every tree cut down, every stream polluted, every animal mistreated, every community destroyed and every culture erased. But I choose to keep picking up the pieces of my shattered heart, one by one, and use them to build a path that runs counter to a predatory world. I choose to continue dreaming of a healthy, balanced and loving world. But I cannot do this alone.
Now, more than ever, we need each other to inspire us and create new ideas. We can count on the energy of youth to enhance the knowledge of those who came before us. We can count on cooperation and collectivity to spread solutions and hope across the planet. And we can count on quality environmental journalism to question decisions, name those responsible and denounce crimes and irregularities. But also to inspire us and thus turn dreams into reality.
Shall we?
Banner image: Youth take part in a 2019 global protest on climate change in Rio de Janeiro, during the runup to the U.N. climate summit. Image by AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo.
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