[Inside the Newsroom] A fellowship for the planet

Hello! I cover environmental issues for Rappler, and this year my focus for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) lies on the ocean.

With Australia as co-president of the summit, Pacific priorities are high on the agenda. The summit is billed as the “Blue COP,” with an Antalya ocean declaration in the works.

The ocean is the world’s largest carbon sink. Being front and center of the climate negotiations has been a long time coming.

I am joining seven other journalists from around the world to cover COP31 remotely through the ocean lens. Among the big questions we hope to shed light on: How will countries integrate ocean solutions in the complex architecture of the global climate regime? This question brings with it a host of other issues such as funding sources.

On a personal level, the fellowship’s focus on oceans provides relief, giving me a single angle to latch on. Climate negotiations have their own language. Coverage of COPs requires dealing with a broad array of issues, such as poverty, displacement, hunger, waste, capitalism, wars, and even genocide. It requires a perspective that thinks in the big picture.

An example is the sobering reminder from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the leaders’