Recently I was among the judges for two special competitions: the Earth Day competition I described a few days ago, and also Climate Tracker Caribbean’s first Climate Justice Journalism Awards.
Both made me stay up late at night, reading, re-reading, fixing up scores. Which one is “better” than the other one? Just as I was swept away by the smooth eloquence of a young man’s poem about “Planet vs Plastics” (a runaway winner, and for the second year) I got right down in the weeds with the climate justice journalists.
In the end, five journalists emerged victorious: one from Jamaica, and two each from Guyana and the Dominican Republic. There were many entries, and sorting them out was no easy task. I would have added about five “Honourable Mentions” actually.
I discovered so many stories that had rarely - if ever - been told. The exhausting work of Dominican firefighters in the hills; the very real issue of “period poverty” in Trinidad and Jamaica; indigenous people living on an eroding coastline in Guyana; low-paid workers on construction sites and elsewhere working in great heat…
Stories about people. The challenges are many, but Caribbean people and communities need to work together for solutions, and sometimes perhaps - stop listening to the politicians making speeches, most of whom know much less than those facing up to the rigours of climate change on the ground, day after day. They have their air-conditioned cars and homes and personal security, in a bubble.
Let the conversations continue. Let the work continue. Already, there has been a disturbance in the Atlantic - in April! Hurricane season does not “officially” begin until June 1. Let’s fasten our seatbelts.
This sounds like such a treat to judge! Thanks for sharing ❤️
Hi Emma, it's humbling to see people doing such amazing work in less well-off countries while many in richer countries just sit on their hands.