Underreported Earth: 'Tree Tales'

As COP30, the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, convenes, the Pulitzer Center and EARTHDAY.ORG present a new three-part discussion series: Underreported Earth: “Tree Tales.” 

Moderated by The Guardian’s Tracy McVeigh, three Pulitzer Center-supported investigative journalists discuss how they uncovered powerful stories about deforestation and conservation. Ana Bottallo explores what led her to the mangrove forests of Brazil and how predatory fishing is putting them at risk; Elisângela Mendonça investigates how farming in Brazil’s rainforests is driven not only by the meat industry, but also by a growing global obsession with collagen; and Josephine Moulds speaks about her journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo to report on the government’s fossil fuel drilling auction that threatens the vital Congo Basin rainforest. 

All three stories informed local communities and inspired discussions among students and influencers, exemplifying journalism's vital role in driving impact.

The conversations were first livestreamed by EARTHDAY.ORG on November 17-19 at 1:00pm EST.

Elisângela Mendonça: "Trespassers: Meet the Giant Food Companies Driving Record Invasion of Indigenous Lands in the Amazon" 

The unchecked expansion of commercial agriculture is by far the single largest driver of tropical deforestation, and it's often a major threat to the existence of traditional communities. While investigating the beef supply chain, Elisângela Mendonça bumped into a piece of interesting information: Part of the cows raised in illegally deforested areas were being used to produce collagen, a food supplement that is worshipped by celebrities and wellness influencers.

Working with The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), Mendonça published a story with The Guardian and a documentary with iTV revealing how companies and farmers that are part of Nestlé's supply chain of collagen were directly responsible for the invasion of Indigenous territory.

TBIJ harnessed social media and collaboration with an influencer to highlight the true story behind collagen to a broader audience. The impact editors of TBIJ also have met with Parliament members in the U.K. and EU parliamentarians to present the findings of the investigation. These stories made waves and Nestlé committed to eliminating the bad suppliers in its supply chain. 

Josephine Moulds: "How Big Finance Fuels the Climate Crisis" 

Working for TBIJ, Josephine Moulds collaborated with journalists across the globe to highlight new fossil fuel infrastructure that will destroy areas rich in wildlife, create devastating pollution, and lock the world into fossil fuels for decades to come. Using her experience as a financial journalist, she exposed the gulf between what institutions say they are doing on climate and their ongoing activities that fuel the climate crisis.

The Democratic Republic of Congo canceled a major auction of rights to drill for oil and gas across the country, including in highly sensitive parts of the Congo Basin, the last rainforest in the world that stores more carbon than it emits. The decision followed the revelations by TBIJ that the auction process had been plagued with apparent preferential treatment and backroom deals.

The reporting also inspired Violet Sandridge, a Colorado middle school student who wrote "Whispered by the Wind," one of the finalist poems in the Pulitzer Center’s Fighting Words student contest. 

Ana Bottallo: "Amazonian Mangroves"

Ana Bottallo reported on the environmental, socioeconomic, and tourist activities on the northern coast of Brazil that threaten mangroves, which sequester and store carbon and act as local nurseries for different species. 

Her reporting found its way to Juliana Zatarim, our latest winner of the Pulitzer Center’s Letter Contest for Our Forests and Ocean. The 15-year-old was inspired by the reporting to write a letter to Marina Silva, Brazil's minister of the environment and climate change, expressing concern about the impact of climate change on mangroves. Silva responded, congratulating Zatarim on her win and outlining steps Brazil's government is taking to protect mangroves. Silva told Zatarim that her "letter is a necessary reminder of the risks we face today and which jeopardize our future."