Interconnected Workshop: Building Dialogues and Charting the Journey to COP30

Image

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (the U.N. Conference of the Parties or COP) is one of the biggest events that focuses on climate change.

This year's COP30 is scheduled to take place in Belém, Brazil. It is a great opportunity to discuss issues affecting the Amazon, its conservation, protection of traditional communities and ecosystems, the vital role the forest plays in climate regulation, and the intersections between the Amazon and other biomes.

On the road to COP30, the Pulitzer Center organized the Interconnected Workshop, held December 4-6, 2024, in Belém. It brought together 45 journalists, academics, and civil society organizations to discuss climate and governance issues in Latin America in the global context.

The workshop served as a platform to connect Pulitzer Center-supported reporters with changemakers to facilitate dialogue ahead of COP30. Further, a key objective of the event was to foster collaboration with people who represent communities most affected by the impacts of climate change, keeping their knowledge and experiences central to the discussions.

Image

The event opened with the Pulitzer Center’s CEO, Lisa Gibbs, presenting the organization’s core values of supporting underreported stories through journalism and how these stories form the base of engagement with the public—through debates, webinars, lesson plans, letter contests, art exhibitions, and other initiatives—to drive action. 

Image

Flora Pereira, the Center's chief engagement and education officer, on the other hand, highlighted the Center’s impact and its amplification of diverse perspectives. The documentary, Reports of a War Correspondent in the Amazon (2023) by Ana Aranha and Daniel Camargos, from the media outlet Repórter Brasil, was screened on the first day.

Dialogues and diverse perspectives

Image

The discussions on the second day were thematically divided to focus on Ocean, Climate and Labor, and Rainforests. Each of these sessions began with a Pulitzer Center-supported journalist sharing insights from their reporting experience. This was followed by a sectoral expert or an academician sharing their learnings from engaging with each of these themes closely over their professional careers. Leaders from affected communities, decision makers, and other media workers also contributed to the conversations. 

Image

The Ocean session was facilitated by Professor Ronaldo Christofoletti from the Federal University of São Paulo, who addressed the struggles faced by coastal communities. A discussion on challenges such as the proliferation of sargassum and the catastrophic effects of the Unomia Stolonifera coral in the Caribbean began with Julián Reingold, a journalist and Pulitzer Center grantee. Reingold highlighted how climate events can affect local economies and livelihoods. He gave the example of how prevalence of sargassum (algae) in beaches has resulted in hotels, fish markets, and several commercial outlets being abandoned in a Caribbean island. Sustainable, resilient solutions for these challenges also emerged from this workshop through guiding questions. Participants proposed knowledge exchange between stakeholders, communication and education as an awareness tool and organizing locally to manage marine issues. 

Image

The Rainforests session focussed heavily on carbon credits, where the discussion was facilitated by Pedro Martins from FASE organization and Maria Darrigo, Pulitzer Center’s Latin America Education Manager. The discussion highlighted a set of problems and violations associated with the carbon market industry—the lack of transparency in the processes and demonstrating its complex nomenclatures, as well as the hidden mechanisms and themes of the negotiations— that make the subject difficult to comprehend. Further, the session brought up how carbon markets— like other challenges that have affected Amazonian forests, rivers and its people—have fuelled resistance in territories.

The Climate and Labor session, facilitated by Professor Marcela Vecchione from the Federal University of Pará, examined how global supply chains impact land use, working conditions, and territorial rights. Themes such as deforestation, carbon emissions, and forced eviction of Indigenous communities from their territories were discussed. The discussion also focussed on the food and welfare sectors, recognizing practices that protect forests while strengthening the local economy and community structures. Risks associated with investigative reportage that expose ground realities, putting communities at a vulnerable position was something that came up during the discussion as well. Stakeholders then highlighted the need to carry out a risk analysis that ensures safety of communities rather than putting them in danger.

From ideating to action

Image

The third and final day of the workshop focused on public engagement and ways to communicate climate justice issues with people. Skill development for engaging narratives to mobilize allies emerged as a suggestion. Several journalists brought in their experience and expertise to inform the session, where stories on communities and ground realities can be showcased to a wider audience. Grantee Thiago Medaglia, for example, mentioned his experience in scientific journalism and climate mitigation.

Building hyper-local communicators from different regions and territories was a suggestion that emerged. Academics stressed the importance of collaboration where knowledge and storytelling could join hands for dissemination of information.

Image

Towards the end of the workshop, it was clear that there is much value in meaningful and in-depth journalism that goes beyond the realm of breaking news. Journalism is indeed a tool that helps create knowledge and shape public discourse, especially when it brings the under-represented voices to the forefront. As we approach COP30, actionable steps were outlined by participants where evidence-based journalism could play a key role in furthering climate negotiations. In conjunction with other types of knowledge which emerge from the territories and academia, it can support the public to navigate complexities and challenges of the present.