Bhubaneswar: Climate change has emerged as one of the biggest challenges, and journalism must reflect its growing impact on people, livelihoods and the environment, said Richard Mohapatra, Managing Editor of Down to Earth, on Sunday.

Addressing a special session on the concluding day of the three-day Earth Again Conference, organised by Sambad at Utkal University in Bhubaneswar, Mohapatra said climate change should now be an important lens through which stories are reported and understood.

He said around two-thirds of the world's population is already facing the effects of climate change, leading to various health and other social problems. Global temperatures are continuing to rise, making it seem as if the Earth is suffering from a persistent fever, he said.

Mohapatra stressed the importance of understanding history and local contexts before preparing a news report. He said journalists should examine how weather patterns have changed over the years and understand what constitutes normal weather in a particular region.

“Even if we are telling the story of a village, it is also a global story,” he said, emphasising that local developments can be presented in the broader context of global climate change.

Referring to Odisha's experience with cyclones and other disasters, Mohapatra said the state has repeatedly faced severe natural calamities. The devastating 1999 Super Cyclone had raised questions about why Odisha was repeatedly becoming vulnerable to disasters and what factors were responsible.

He said climate change reporting provides an opportunity to connect such local experiences with global developments. The responsibility for climate change, he added, cannot be attributed to Odisha alone as multiple factors and actors across the world contribute to the crisis.

According to Mohapatra, climate change has now become a major headline in Odisha. He said a large section of the state's population is being affected by climate-related changes and journalists need to examine the preparedness and response mechanisms available in every district.

He also called for greater coverage of stories from rural and tribal areas, particularly from regions such as Koraput, Malkangiri, Niyamgiri and Daringbadi. The lives and experiences of tribal communities, he said, need greater representation in the media.

“Good stories are in the villages,” Mohapatra said, urging journalists to expand their coverage beyond conventional subjects and focus on the links between the economy, environment and climate.

He cited increasing human-elephant conflict as another issue that needs to be viewed through an environmental and climate lens, noting that elephants are increasingly moving out of forests and are also being affected by human activities.

Mohapatra further highlighted the connection between climate change and agrarian distress. While farmer suicides are often directly linked to debt, he said climate change can be an underlying factor because changing weather patterns are severely affecting agriculture.

Low-pressure-induced rainfall, droughts and other natural disasters can damage crops and undermine farmers' livelihoods, he said.

He urged reporters to regularly cover weather and climate-related developments and examine their impact on communities. Journalism, he said, must evolve alongside the changing climate and tell stories that explain how environmental changes are shaping people's lives.