The reality is that many nations are experiencing rapid changes in the environment that have the potential to reshape nature and human life through direct exposure to sunlight and causing unexpected natural calamities. In fact, the Government of Malawi issued strict penalties on those engaged in illegal charcoal production in 2022, making it difficult for its population to use this form of energy.
On their part, many journalists in Malawi are trying to focus their attention on climate change and environmental issues. Today, we focus on different views of environmental journalists who have shaped how the environment and climate change is covered in Malawi.

“Having to write a story and see it making impact, is one of the greatest things I have enjoyed,” James Chavula, the head of Solutions Journalism at Nation Publications Limited beamed while on a call last Thursday. He added, “My story about Lake Chilwa in 2018 and the story I wrote about Fed Mountain which won me the UN award, inspire me to even do more in the environmental journalism.”
Meanwhile, Dorothy Vanessa Kachitsa, the Customer Relations Executive at Global Internet Limited shared her experience while working with Goal Malawi.

“Most of the communities know what they experience year in year out (floods and drought), they know when they experience that, the government will come in to give them free stuff, they would still stay there and when they become victims, they get free help,” she says.

But while Malawi is providing a platform for journalists to carry out their journalism work, the press seems unlikely to do much in advocating for climate change in the country. Moses Kaufa, the Executive Director at Malawi Media Council seems to agree that while there is advocacy for the media, nothing is likely to change.

Although Chavula believes that being an environmental reporter means living out what you are advocating for, it is hard to deal with some individuals who are against advocates for clean cooking solutions.
“There is a lot of hype and public debate on whether we are ready to change to clean cooking solutions. Some people wanted to go house by house checking on whether the advocates for the ban on illegal charcoal production were really using clean cooking solutions.”

The debate over the risks of climate change has drawn attention. And historical environmental places in Malawi such as the Africa’s largest man-made forest, Viphya Forest is indeed at risk