Objectivity is a pillar of journalism, but its definition and application are loosely defined and humanly impossible to achieve, experts say. Podcast guest Emily Atkin argues that an uncritical adherence to objectivity (over trust) has led to gaslighting readers about the real-world causes and urgency of the climate crisis. She quit her day job to launch the acclaimed newsletter “HEATED,” which was spurred by a desire to report on the human causes of climate change and ecological destruction more directly. She discusses why with host Rachel Donald on this episode. Subscribe to or follow the Mongabay Newscast wherever you get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, and you can also listen to all episodes here on the Mongabay website, or download our free app for Apple and Android devices to gain instant access to our latest episodes and all our previous ones. Image: An abstract AI-generated photo of a wildfire in the forest. Image from CharlVera via Pixabay.  --- Timecodes:  (00:00) Introduction (02:48) The Birth of Heated: A Climate Journalism Venture (05:19) The Challenges of Mainstream Media (14:17) The Role of Objectivity in Journalism (32:34) The Role of a Journalist and Power Dynamics (35:49) The Relationship Between Press and Government (38:48) The Role of Independent Journalism (47:33) Journalism Ethics (50:41) The Roots of Objectivity (01:00:35) Conclusion

Timothée Parrique, an economist from Lund University and an expert in degrowth economics, dives into the concept of degrowth—challenging the idea of endless growth in a finite world. He discusses how scaling back consumption in wealthier nations can improve global equity and environmental health. Parrique argues that by prioritizing well-being over GDP, communities can thrive ecologically and socially. He envisions a future where sustainability and happiness coexist, transforming urban planning and redefining prosperity beyond traditional economic metrics.

Data scientist and head of research at Our World in Data, Hannah Ritchie, discusses her book 'Not the End of the World' that offers solutions for environmental problems. The podcast covers topics such as the challenges of implementing solutions, the role of politics and policy in tackling environmental crises, the primary causes of climate change, the focus on EVs and individual car ownership, an interview with an author endorsed by Bill Gates, governments' influence on setting prices, and the need for concrete policies and political action to address deforestation.

In 2015, independent journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown and Sarawak Report uncovered the beginnings of what is now considered the world’s biggest money-laundering scandal. The crime resulted in billions stolen from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund. While former prime minister Najib Razak is now facing a 12-year prison sentence for his role in the crime, Rewcastle Brown herself has also faced legal actions against her, including an arrest warrant and an attempt to place her on Interpol’s Red Notice list of wanted fugitives. Mongabay podcast co-host Rachel Donald speaks with Rewcastle Brown, the founder of the Sarawak Report, about what led her to investigate this scandal, as well as environmental destruction in Borneo.  Related reading: Amid corruption scandal, Malaysia switches track on future of rail network INTERPOL rejects Malaysia’s request to place journalist on Red Notice list Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.   If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps! See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find and follow Mongabay on all the social media platforms.   Image Caption: Kelumpang Sarawak (Sterculia megistophylla) in Malaysian Borneo. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.

Wildlife trafficking is a high-profile but complex topic that reporters struggle to tackle effectively. Three experts recently spoke with Mongabay about some of the thornier questions the media should consider when covering international wildlife crime.    Wildlife trafficking should be covered as a crime story, first and foremost, because that's what it is, as one podcast guest argues.   Simone Haysome, Dwi N. Adhiasto, and Bryan Christy joined host Mike DiGirolamo in a live discussion that originally aired in late 2022 to unpack these questions as part of Mongbay's ongoing webinar series for environmental journalists.    This conversation is useful to anyone interested in wildlife conservation issues, and refers to a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) meeting that occurred in Panama City, Panama in November of 2022.   Watch more from our webinar series for journalists: Mongabay Webinars (Playlist) How to Cover the Illegal Wildlife Trade | Mongabay Webinars   Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips.   If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps! See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find and follow Mongabay on all the social media platforms.   Image Caption: Cameroon’s gorillas and chimps have been hunted to feed a national and international illegal trade in skulls and other body parts. Photo by MCAMERFİLS licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

The idea that nature is something outside of society hampers practical solutions to restoring it, says Laura Martin, associate professor of environmental studies at Williams College. On this episode of the Mongabay Newscast, co-host Rachel Donald speaks with Martin about the restoration vs. preservation debate, and why Martin says a focus on the former is the way to address the biodiversity crisis. Martin defines restoration as “an attempt to design nature with non-human collaborators,” which she details in her book Wild by Design: The Rise of Ecological Restoration. See related content: Podcast: Is ecosystem restoration our last/best hope for a sustainable future? Japanese butterfly conservation takes flight when integrated with human communities Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips. If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps! See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find and follow Mongabay on all the social media platforms. Image Caption: Project participants planting native species seedlings in the Itapu Restoration Trail, as part of Brazil’s effort to help meet the world’s ambitious restoration commitments made under the Bonn Challenge. The ongoing management of such projects requires long-term financing. Image by Raquel Maia Arvelos/CIFOR via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Conservationist Paul Rosolie co-leads a non-profit deep in the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon. Conserving forests beyond where law enforcement is willing to travel can be dangerous work, but his team successfully recruits former loggers to use their forest knowledge to become conservation rangers: this provides alternative income streams for communities and has attracted millions of dollars in funding. Today, this Indigenous-co-led nonprofit is responsible for protecting 55,000 acres of rainforest. In this episode, Rosolie shares his recipe for conservation success and what he thinks other conservation organizations can focus on to boost their effectiveness. Related reading: Mother of God: meet the 26 year old Indiana Jones of the Amazon, Paul Rosolie Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips. If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps! See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find and follow Mongabay on all the social media platforms. Image Caption: Image of Paul Rosolie. Courtesy of Paul Rosolie.

The podcast discusses the disappearance of finance language for the UN climate Loss & Damage Fund and introduces a new co-host. It explores the challenges in designing the fund and the opposition from developed countries. The chapter also delves into the intense negotiations and arm-twisting tactics used by developed countries. It discusses the skepticism towards the World Bank housing the fund and speculates the best and worst case scenarios for the UN climate agreement at COP. The podcast also introduces a new co-host and encourages support for Mongabay Newscast.

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has declined by 22% for the year ending July 31, 2023, according to data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE). On this episode of the Mongabay Newscast, CEO and editor-in-chief Rhett Butler tells us what the data show and what Mongabay will be looking for in the future. Butler also details more exciting news, such as the 2023 Biophilia Award for Environmental Communication, given to Mongabay for its “outstanding track record” in communicating issues related to nature and biodiversity, and the launch of an all-new bilingual bureau in Africa. Related Reading: Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon falls 22% in 2023 Mongabay wins prestigious 2023 Biophilia Award for Environmental Communication Mongabay launches Africa news bureau Meet the tech projects competing for a $10m prize to save rainforests Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips. If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps! See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find and follow Mongabay on all the social media platforms. Image Caption: Scarlet macaw in Brazil. Photo by Rhett Butler.

If current conditions line up just right, much of the Great Barrier Reef could soon suffer another catastrophic bleaching event, so how are conservationists reacting to threats like this in Australia?   “We could lose a huge part of the reef by February,” says Newscast guest Dean Miller of the Forever Reef Project, so his team is racing to add the final coral specimens to its huge “biobank” of coral species before then, for use by researchers and conservationists.   Work like this was featured at the first international edition of the famed South by Southwest (SXSW) festival and conference (October 15-22, 2023 in Sydney), and Mongabay spoke with multiple people engaged with coral and kelp reforestation, plus sustainable agriculture.   On this edition of the Mongabay Newscast, guests also include John “Charlie” Veron from the Forever Reef Project, Mic Black from Rainstick, and Adriana Vergés from the Kelp Forest Alliance, detailing their projects and the challenges they're tackling.   Related Reading Scientists strive to restore world’s embattled kelp forests Hope, but no free pass, as Pacific corals show tolerance to warming oceans Please invite your friends to subscribe to the Mongabay Newscast wherever they get podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, or download our free app in the Apple App Store or in the Google Store to get access to our latest episodes at your fingertips. If you enjoy the Newscast, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps! See all our latest news from nature's frontline at Mongabay's homepage: news.mongabay.com or find and follow Mongabay on all the social media platforms. Image Caption: Healthy coral in the Great Barrier Reef. Image by Jonas Gratzer for Mongabay. Please share your thoughts and feedback! submissions@mongabay.com.