The International Press Institute (IPI) has officially called upon the United Nations to formally recognize environmental journalists as essential actors in the global effort to secure a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. In a submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment, the organization argued that protecting the press is a prerequisite for environmental accountability and the broader defense of human rights.
The IPI’s intervention follows extensive monitoring of the landscape for climate and environmental journalism across Africa, a region where reporting on resource exploitation and land management has become an increasingly perilous beat. The submission details a systematic pattern of intimidation faced by reporters, ranging from physical violence and arbitrary detention to complex judicial harassment and online surveillance.
According to the IPI, environmental journalists often find themselves in the crosshairs of both state and private actors who seek to suppress information regarding illegal logging, mining, and industrial pollution. By highlighting these risks, the IPI is urging the UN Special Rapporteur to categorize the protection of journalists alongside that of other environmental human rights defenders. This, the institute suggests, is necessary to ensure that the public’s “right to know” is treated as an integral component of the right to a healthy environment.
The submission also notes a shifting legal landscape, pointing to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights—specifically Resolution 657 of 2026—as a progressive step toward recognizing the nexus between access to information and environmental rights. Building on this momentum, the IPI has proposed a comprehensive seven-point framework for states to adopt, aimed at dismantling the barriers currently hindering environmental reporting.
Central to these recommendations is the call for states to end the culture of impunity. The IPI advocates for independent, prompt, and thorough investigations into all threats and attacks against journalists, regardless of whether the perpetrators are government officials or private corporate entities.
Legal harassment emerged as a primary concern in the institute’s research, particularly the rise of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). These are often used as tools to drain the resources of newsrooms and silence reporting on corporate environmental negligence. To counteract this, the IPI is calling for the implementation of robust anti-SLAPP legislation and the creation of “early dismissal” mechanisms in courts to protect journalists from being overwhelmed by bad-faith litigation.
Furthermore, the institute has demanded an end to the weaponization of broad, restrictive laws. Across many jurisdictions, cybercrime, national security, and “false information” statutes are frequently misused to criminalize investigative reporting that challenges state narratives on environmental policy. The IPI recommends that states decriminalize defamation and ensure that any civil remedies are strictly proportionate, preventing these legal avenues from becoming instruments of censorship.
Transparency is identified as the final pillar of the IPI’s proposal. The organization asserts that governments must guarantee proactive disclosure of environmental data, particularly during emergencies, and allow reporters unfettered access to affected sites. Equally critical is the protection of journalistic sources, which the IPI argues is vital for whistleblowers and activists to share information on environmental crimes without fear of reprisal.
As climate change intensifies and global competition for resources grows, the IPI’s appeal serves as a reminder that the environment is often a frontline of democratic struggle. By aligning the safety of journalists with the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur, the institute seeks to ensure that the facts surrounding the ecological crisis remain a matter of public record, rather than a casualty of suppression.
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