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Broken Promises: Greenwashing Uncovered

Recent years have seen significant improvement in both recognition and rhetoric from those in power around the need for action to address the looming impacts of the climate crisis. However, in too many cases, positive words have served only to obscure inaction at best and continued harm at worst.

Furthermore, the role of holding those responsible – whether governments, international bodies or corporations – to account has too often been neglected by regulatory authorities, leaving investigative reporters to perform the role of watchdog. This session brings together three such instances where only the hard work of journalists has stopped large-scale corruption and malfeasance from going unchecked.

 

 

Case study 1:
Gone with the wind: Lesotho’s $15-billion energy pipedream
by Sechaba Mokhethi (Lesotho)
A $15-billion wind farm project that would have given Lesotho bragging rights to Africa’s largest renewable energy project, slashed electricity prices and created thousands of jobs has vanished from the country’s planned projects, leaving behind unanswered questions and politicians who don’t remember the detail.
the story was produced as part of the the 2022 Oxpeckers #PowerTracker professional support and training programme, supported by the CIJ’s Open Climate Reporting Initiative (OCRI).

Case study 2:
How TotalEnergies oil pollution forced host communities to engage in illegal crude oil mining
By Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi (Nigeria)
A 17-year-old Ike and his elder brother of 24 years old in September 2022 visited their family farmland in Oduoha Nvakohia in Rivers State to harvest cassava, only to dig out crude oil in the course of uprooting their farm produce.

Case study 3:
‘Gone wrong’: Doubts on carbon-credit program in Peru forest 
In Peru, Kichwa tribe wants compensation for carbon credits
By Ed Davey (UK for AP)
An analysis by independent experts and reporting by The Associated Press raises doubts about whether the Cordillera Azul Project (Peru) has delivered on its promise to counter-balance emissions by oil companies such as Shell, TotalEnergies and others. And the tree loss has more than doubled, according to satellite analysis.
At the same time as millions of dollars in oil money began flowing into former tribal territory, after the creating of the Cordillera Azul Project, members of the local Kichwa tribe found themselves with no livelihood and no compensation.

 

Chaired by Akintunde Babatunde, CIJ OCRI Coordinator.

Part of the CIJ Climate OCRI Networking event at #CIJSummer Conference. Supported by Journalimsfund EU.

Parts of this session will be recorded, and some talks may operate under Chatham House Rules.

Ed Davey

Ed Davey is a Special Correspondent for Climate Accountability at the Associated Press, working to hold corporations and politicians to account for their contribution to global warming. He specialises in investigative and environmental journalism.

Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi

Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi is a freelance multimedia investigative journalist, passionate about environmental and climate justice. She specialises in fact-checking, data journalism and OSINT and is an alumna of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network of the Reuters Institute of Journalism.

Sechaba Mokhethi

Sechaba Mokhethi is an investigative journalist and founding partner of MNN Centre for Investigative Journalism in Lesotho. He started out as a political writer for Public Eye, a local newspaper in Lesotho.

Akintunde Babatunde

Akintunde is a Programme Manager with extensive experience in international development, public policy, civic technology, climate change, and media innovation. He is currently the Director of Programs at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development in west Africa.
  • 28 June 2023 12.00–13.00
Location: PSH LG02
Talk
All levels
Business
Environment
Investigation