2024 was a year of action and impact for Climate Tracker Asia. We trained young storytellers to bring untold climate stories to life, forged stronger partnerships, and tackled challenges head-on. These reflections capture the highlights of a year where every story, every project, and every connection pushed us closer to a future shaped by bold climate journalism.

Inspiring the future of Climate Journalism

by Gaea Cabico

In an era where the climate crisis continues to reshape our world, empowering young storytellers to bring these stories to light is crucial. This year at Climate Tracker, we’ve witnessed the transformative power of journalism. Through programs like the #NextGen Climate Bootcamp and the Content Creators Hub, we’ve trained and supported a new generation of climate storytellers to produce high-quality reports and use the power of social media to bring the human cost of climate change to life.

This year marked the successful conclusion of the #NextGen Climate Bootcamp, a program supported by the US Embassy in Manila which aimed to equip early-career journalists and university students with the skills and resources they need to produce stories about their communities.

The fellows explored how climate change intersects with agriculture, Indigenous peoples’ rights, biodiversity, urbanization, forests, waste, disasters, and culture. As GenZs, they also produced multimedia content, such as TikTok videos, to connect with broader audiences. Four fellows advanced to our Cadetship Program, where they took on the challenge of producing two in-depth features monthly alongside weekly shorter articles.

We’re incredibly proud of their achievements. Edmar delos Santos, for instance, was selected to cover COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, through the Philippine Network of Environmental Journalists and Deutsche Welle (DW) Akademie. Joshua Mendoza’s investigative report on the potential role of climate change in the migration of the fall armyworm in the Philippines earned the Best Online Story award at the 17th Bright Leaf Journalism Awards. Meanwhile, Elle Guison shared her expertise on bite-sized science journalism at the Science Journalism Forum, underscoring the importance of making complex topics accessible and engaging.

This year also saw the conclusion of the second Content Creators Hub program, which brought together fellows from the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Their multimedia contributions included a cooking video on the climate-resilient crop pumpkin, a feature on eco-friendly farming techniques, a spotlight on underappreciated seagrass, an exploration of climate impacts on milk tea, and a social media series unpacking the environmental consequences of Israel’s war on Gaza. These projects demonstrated how diverse storytelling formats can educate and engage audiences on critical climate issues. Building on this momentum, we launched the third cohort of the Content Creators Hub, expanding its reach to include fellows from Thailand and Vietnam.

On a personal note, my role as a mentor took a step back after the #NextGen Climate Bootcamp and the second Content Creators Hub. This shift was prompted by my move to the United States to pursue a Master’s in Journalism at NYU, with a concentration in Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting. This program is providing me with amazing opportunities to refine my reporting and writing skills, learn from leading science journalists and educators, and gain invaluable hands-on experience. These experiences have elevated my journalism and strengthened my resolve to contribute meaningfully to climate, environment, and energy reporting.

Ultimately, my mission is to apply the insights and expertise I’ve gained to advance climate journalism in Southeast Asia. I’m deeply committed to returning to the Philippines to fill a critical gap by mentoring young science journalists, equipping them with the tools they need to tell impactful stories.

Powering Change Through Collaboration

by Agnes Saycon

2024 – what a year! It’s clear that this year was a mix of both challenges and achievements. Although we didn’t manage to implement as many projects as originally planned, the projects we did complete were impactful and of high-quality. Every initiative we carried out stayed true to our core mission: driving climate action and amplifying the voices of young climate leaders across Asia, while supporting and empowering journalists globally.

A key source of motivation and reassurance this year has been the ongoing trust and partnership with our longstanding partners. Organizations such as the US Embassy, Oxfam International, Break Free From Plastic (BFFP), and the Oscar M. Lopez Center (OML) have been vital in not only sustaining and supporting our work but enabling us to thrive. Their continued collaboration affirms the credibility of our efforts and fuels our determination to keep pushing forward, despite the difficulties we faced in 2024.

As the Finance Manager, a personal highlight this year was attending my very first Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) in October. This conference allowed me to deepen my understanding of disaster risk reduction and climate resilience, while connecting with like-minded individuals and organizations committed to the same goals. The exchange of ideas and experiences reaffirmed my commitment to the climate cause and reminded me that we are part of a global movement striving for a common purpose.

Another proud moment this year was seeing our Climate Tracker fellows evolve into more powerful and confident storytellers. Over the course of 2024, I watched them transform into leaders who are not only advocating for change but actively shaping the narratives around climate justice. Their growth and development into skilled communicators has been incredibly rewarding—not only as a member of the organizing team, but as someone invested in the future of this movement.

Overall, 2024 has been a year marked by both growth and challenges. The trust from our partners, the inspiring development of our fellows, and the lessons I’ve learned throughout the year continue to drive my passion and love for the work we do at Climate Tracker Asia. As we look ahead to 2025, I’m filled with excitement and optimism for the continued progress we can make together with our community, partners, and fellows.

As we wrap up our reflections for the year, one essential truth remains clear: climate action must be inclusive. While we, as Filipinos, are known for our resilience, we must also acknowledge that our path to sustainable development is still ongoing and is very far from being perfect. There is so much work to be done to create the strategies, policies, and systems that will ensure no one is left behind in the battle against climate change.

True resilience isn’t simply about weathering the storm—it’s about building a future where every community, especially the most vulnerable, is empowered, supported, and heard. Our climate action must empower and support isolated initiatives and become a movement that creates space for all voices, strengthens societies, and builds a collective future that is sustainable and fair for all.

At this point, resilience should be defined not by how well we recover from disaster, but by how well we establish structures that ensure no one—regardless of their background or circumstances—faces the climate crisis alone. As we move forward, let us remember that true climate resilience is about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive, adapt, and lead in shaping a sustainable future for all.

Let’s continue to work together, with inclusivity at the core of every decision, and strive to create the climate future we know is possible—one where no one is left behind.

When Creativity Meets Climate Action

by Jom Daclan

For me, the highlight of each year at Climate Tracker Asia is when we get to host our fellows in Manila for their in-person workshops and mentoring sessions. It is always inspiring to be around young people who are passionate about climate action and climate justice, more so when they come up with creative ways to raise awareness about the many ways that the climate crisis is affecting people’s lives, particularly those who are most vulnerable here in Asia to the impacts of a changing climate.

This year, we hosted 41 fellows from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. With such a large number of fellows, we of course ended up with quite a diverse range of topics for their feature articles and videos. There were the standard stories on climate justice and just transition, as well as gender and climate change, agriculture and food security, biodiversity conservation, forest protection and ecosystem restoration, impact of extreme weather changes,and indigenous peoples’ rights. But they also touched upon urban development and mobility, disaster preparedness, heritage conservation, plastics, impact of political campaigns on climate change, and even the intersections of climate change and sports, fashion, skincare, and even bubble tea!

During the workshops, it was also heartening to see how much our content creation fellowships have scaled up the capabilities of young Asian video creators, enabling them to tell short but powerful stories about the climate. The reach of their videos online and the impact that these are generating on social media show that there is an audience for engaging yet informative short videos about the climate crisis. I also think this increased focus on supporting young people to produce compelling climate content for social media is establishing our identity as the Climate Tracker regional office that is geared towards youth engagement, pushing out content that resonates with younger generations as a means of getting them interested in climate issues, which hopefully serves as a springboard for deeper participation in climate action down the line.

Another high point this year was the Climate Tracker Asia team’s participation at the 2024 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR), which was held in Manila last October. Our time at the conference listening to the discussions centered mainly around inclusivity in disaster risk governance, improved access to financing for disaster risk reduction (DRR), and more gender-responsive DRR left us hopeful that the global DRR agenda is on the right track, although considerable challenges still remain in meeting its 2030 goals.

The lack of significant progress and substantial agreements during COP 29, CBD 16, and INC-5 put such challenges clearly into view. While we were all hopeful that these events would lead to more meaningful outcomes, their mixed results only show that there is still much work to be done leading up to the climate goals of 2030 and 2050. And we at Climate Tracker Asia will be doing our part of the work in 2025 and beyond.

From Vision to Impact
by Biena Magbitang

When I asked the team to reflect on this year, I found myself tangled in my own thoughts, unsure where to begin. As someone who pushes herself to the limit, I couldn’t stop the nagging guilt: Have we done enough? The dream we set last year felt so far away. But then, as I scrolled through my photos, the moments of this year came rushing back – and I realized, what an extraordinary year it’s been for our small but fearless team.

We’ve accomplished so much more than we give ourselves credit for. We told powerful stories — some of which won awards. We wrapped up projects that created real impact, celebrated World Press Freedom Day with our NextGen Fellows, and said goodbye to Content Creators Hub Cycle 2 while welcoming Cycle 3. We even braved the wilds of TikTok and Instagram (and thrived — seriously, follow us if you’re not yet!).

This year has been a whirlwind of opportunities that brought me to spaces I never imagined standing in. I had the privilege of sharing our work at the Clean Energy Wire Conference in Berlin, the ABU Media Summit on Climate Action and Disaster Prevention in Bali, and ClimateXchange’s KnowledgeXchange workshop in Chiang Mai. I contributed to DW Akademie’s training for Filipino journalists in Manila, spoke in front of ASEAN agriculture negotiators ahead of the UN Climate Summit in Bangkok, and even hosted and delivered talks at both the side events and main halls of COP29 in Baku. Each of these experiences reminded me of the immense value of what we do — not just for ourselves, but for everyone we aim to inspire.

But I’ll be honest. This year wasn’t easy. With Chris, our founder, stepping away, I’ve felt the pressure. It’s hard not to feel like the weight of this organization rests entirely on my shoulders. But if 2024 taught me anything, it’s this: I’m not carrying this alone. There are people beside me, people behind me, and people lifting me up when I falter. And I see it in our team, in our fellows, and in the journalists we’ve trained. We are not alone in this fight.

The year wrapped up with a standout moment: being invited to speak at the Covering Climate Webinar on covering COP29. Sharing the stage with giants in the field was both humbling and nerve-wracking, but I held onto one simple truth that I hope resonated far beyond that virtual room:

Every reporter needs to be a climate journalist.

So yes, 2024 was a rollercoaster. But looking back, I’m filled with gratitude, pride, and fire for what’s ahead. The dream isn’t so far away anymore. We’re building it piece by piece, story by story, action by action.

2025, bring it on. We’re ready.