Environmental Journalism is Needed Now More Than Ever
What was once considered an underdog in journalism is what society needs in today’s complex digital landscape. From its inception, Likas Publication strives to meet this increasingly dire need.
From being considered a journalistic beat only a few reporters take interest in, it has become a civic function to translate complex scientific concepts into laymanized ideas that ultimately affect human lives. (Sam Arinto/Likas Publication)
Although environmental problems and climate change are not new points of discussion, the world is now rapidly seeing the effects of ignoring at least 40 years' worth of climate warnings. In the past, there might have been a gap in the climate information the public received; today, varying perspectives and often inaccurate information pollute the intricate digital ecosystem. In both timelines and contexts, effective environmental journalism is indispensable. From being considered a journalistic beat only a few reporters take interest in due to its complexities and perceived inability to sell to audiences, it has become a civic function to translate complex scientific concepts into laymanized ideas that ultimately affect human lives.
One of Likas’ primary journalistic goals is to elucidate to its readers that environmental problems are multifaceted human rights concerns. Most, if not all, are linked to other societal issues—topics that are given more emphasis in the media over environmental aspects. The flood control scandal does not merely concern politics and corruption, but also entails funds that environmental advocates said were robbed from genuine climate-tagged expenditures. Meanwhile, land grabbing marginalizes both rightful landowners and environmental defenders, as conservation and agriculture are turned into investment opportunities.
These investment projects implemented at the expense of the environment and community solidify the immediate need for powerful environmental reporting. Likas deems the escalating danger of the US-led Pax Silica initiative on resource and land grabbing as one of the catalysts for the publication’s conception. While it uses the tired promises of economic prosperity and industrialization, akin to destructive mining and other land conversion projects, Likas will carry out its journalistic responsibilities of rectifying similar false dominant narratives.
The publication also recognizes the need to explain the complexities of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Although the internet contains a wide variety of information concerning how AI data centers consume large amounts of resources, the rapid growth of the industry necessitates a deeper understanding of its politics and implications for human rights.
In reality, these environmental issues are closer than the Metro Manila population thinks. A data center in Fairview, Quezon City, tagged as the “largest and most interconnected carrier-neutral data center in the Philippines,” is slowly being materialized amid growing concerns for energy-burdened households. At the same time, the University of the Philippines (UP) administration, in coordination with the Quezon City government, advertises its proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Park as beneficial for the environment despite its planned alteration of the community neighborhood and agricultural lands.
All of this environmental degradation is happening amid the Philippine context of being the deadliest country for environmental defenders in Asia. While the publication recognizes the danger in environmental reporting from a human rights perspective, Likas asserts that it is also just as deadly to remain silent and let the public be clueless about the reality. Through in-depth news, features, opinion, and multimedia releases centered on human and expert voices, Likas will rigorously report on the true state of the Philippine environment. This is what today’s digital landscape needs as it has become increasingly easier to create echo chambers about false environmental narratives.
In both its news production and releases, the publication will re-center the aspect of life in all of these conversations: the life of the environment and, ultimately, the lives of humans. No AI bot will replace the humanity needed for such journalism, and no corporate state will silence the truth about what is happening.
It is now, more than ever, that we need to talk about what really matters.