Communication justice is vital to addressing the existential threats posed by climate change and environmental inequity in our digital world, Media Development editor Philip Lee writes in “Climate Justice and Digital Inclusion,” the latest issue of WACC’s journal.

This means ensuring both that everyone has access to independent and unbiased information about climate change and that civil society is seen and heard in global climate debates and in the media, he stresses.

“Excluding voices and alternative views is an affront to democratic freedoms and carries immense risk to people’s lives and livelihoods and to the environment itself.”

Contributors in the 1/2025 issue explore why, in today’s digitally mediated world, we need to focus on marginalized communities and peoples, leverage digital technologies for climate action, and mitigate the impact of digitalisation on climate.

What happens when those who are most impacted by policy decisions are left out of the conversation, Nagarajan Ramakrishnan of WACC partner Ideosync Media Combine in India, asks in a grassroots analysis of the Global Digital Compact.

The voices of such communities must be heard, he concludes, because they hold the key not only to bridging the digital divide but also to “ensuring that the bridge leads somewhere meaningful.”

Nepali journalist Kunda Dixit looks at ways that digital media can be used to inform the public and policymakers about climate change and spur climate action. He urges members of the media to shift strategy and engage more actively with audiences.

There can be no climate justice without communication justice, says Pie Mabanta-Fenomeno from WACC partner Communication Foundation for Asia, and stresses that this must include the oft-overlooked knowledge and experiences of Indigenous peoples.

“Through storytelling and participatory governance, these groups challenge the dominant narratives, ensuring that the silence of marginalized voices is replaced with a chorus of collaboration.”

Educator Dina Gilio-Whitaker of the Colville Confederated Tribes presents a case study from her own university classroom in the United States showing how digital media literacy can be a tool to teach young people to think critically about climate change, become alert to misinformation and media bias, and take informed action.

Further articles include a look at the UN’s Pact for the Future’s missed opportunity to treat gender justice, the climate crisis, and conflict as interconnected issues; a reflection by WACC Director Jim McDonnell on AI development and the need for rights-based, harm-reducing regulation; and an analysis of the impact of news media on public opinion in India.

The issue also gives readers access to the full texts of the COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action and the Haarlem Declaration 2024 on championing inclusive and safe AI.

Media Development 01/2025 is available to subscribers and WACC members. Articles in the issue include:

• Grassroots communities, climate change, and the Global Digital Compact by N. Ramakrishnan
• Communicating ways to cope with climate breakdown by Kunda Dixit
• What is said, what is not said, and the danger in between by Pie Mabanta-Fenomeno
• Digital media literacy: Important lessons from a climate change classroom by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
• UN Summit of the Future: Why the climate-gender-conflict nexus would be a game changer by Paula Kowal
• COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action
• Artificial Intelligence: Setting boundaries, striking balances by Jim McDonnell
• Haarlem Declaration 2024
• Contextualizing Indian newspaper coverage of Russia–Ukraine and Israel–Palestine conflicts by Sudeshna Roy
• On the screen: Ecumenical Juries at Leipzig (Germany), Cottbus (Germany), Lübeck (Germany), and Mannheim–Heidelberg (Germany).