We’ve got a goal this year to expand and deepen our connections with young journalists! With projects like our “Restoring Africa’s Drylands Journalism Fellowship,” “Defenders of the Earth Journalism Fellowship,” and more to come, we’ll be working in some countries for the first time.
It’s really exciting!
Meet the newbies on the Climate Tracker team, who will be working with concerted efforts to achieve this goal.
“I’m really looking forward to working with fun, driven colleagues who are bent on making a difference.”
Patricia Valerio, The Philippines 
Patricia is a former Climate Tracker media research fellow who has nine years of experience as an analyst, writer, and editor in international development, ESG investing, and media. In 2020 she graduated with a master’s in public policy from the Central European University and the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals.
Recently, Patricia was selected as a 2021-2022 Policy Leader Fellow by the European University Institute. She enjoys reading novels, watching old movies, feeding her dogs treats, and (at least before the pandemic) traveling.
What does Patricia think of climate change journalism in her region?
Unlike in countries such as the US — where views on climate change tend to be split along political party lines — the topic of climate change isn’t an ideologically divisive one in Southeast Asia. But that doesn’t mean the job of conveying the urgency of the climate crisis is particularly easier here. Unfortunately there’s still a tendency here to depict climate change as a problem that demands only individual action and not a rethinking of existing systems that have led us to this situation.
“I’m excited to publish innovative climate stories from all over the world and, in the process, help young journalists from developing countries.”
Sebastián Rodríguez, Costa Rica
Sebastián is a journalist from San José, Costa Rica, and former Climate Tracker fellow for COP23. He worked as an editor of Ojo al Clima, the first climate news site in Central America. In 2019, his team won the national environmental journalism award in Costa Rica. He has also published his work as a freelancer in Thomson Reuters Foundation News, Science Magazine and Mongabay, among other international news outlets.
Sebastián has a bachelor’s degree in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism from the University of Costa Rica and speaks English and Portuguese. He enjoys playing chess, walking his dog and visiting national parks.
Concerning Costa Rica’s climate journalism landscape, here’s what Sebas thinks,
Climate and environmental journalism is practiced all over Latin America, but newsrooms rarely have specialized journalists. This is why organizations like Climate Tracker are so important for the region, since most of them need financial support and an outlet to get their stories published. It’s specially important since Latin America is a particularly vulnerable region to climate change.
“I’m excited to do fundraising for fun and innovative projects.”
Talia Lostaunau, Peru
Interested in Biology since she was a kid, Talia knew she wanted to write and take photographs of remote places. She studied to become a forest engineer, putting a pause on her passion for communications. Now, at 30, she’s excited to get the chance to fulfill her dream of becoming an environmental journalist and to learn from people with different backgrounds.
Welcome to the team!! We look forward to working alongside each of you to bring more opportunities to young aspiring climate and environment journalists around the world.