Our Work/Environment Dialogues 2024: Work Relations, Coastal Communities, and Ocean Levels

From the Pulitzer Center, register for the first webinar in “Our Work/Environment Climate and Labor Dialogues” series: Work Relations, Coastal Communities, and Ocean Levels on January 24, 2024 at 5:00 a.m. MT.

The impacts of rising sea level, as a symptom of climate change, are immediately felt by communities in coastal areas. Many workers, especially in informal fields, depend on the cyclical nature of water in the climate system. Not only is climate change affecting the economy through changes in the ecosystems, economic sectors on land such as agriculture are also impacted by the crisis. The welfare of workers and their families is also threatened, especially in island nations, where their lives and livelihoods greatly depend on the seas.

The discussion will span regions from Latin America to Nigeria and Indonesia, examining how fishing practices, maritime life, and climate change intersect to reshape work opportunities and cultural traditions.

Afy Malungu, the Pulitzer Center’s Congo Basin program manager, will moderate. Live interpretation will be provided in English, Portuguese, French, and Indonesian. 

Key questions 

How are rising ocean levels affecting fishing and livelihoods in coastal communities across regions like Latin America, Nigeria, and Indonesia, and what are the key challenges these communities are facing? 

In what ways do fishing practices, marine life, and the impacts of climate change intersect to reshape work opportunities and cultural traditions in these coastal regions, and how can sustainable solutions be identified to address these complex challenges? 

Speakers 

Adetokunbo Abiola is a multiple award-winning journalist based in Nigeria. He specializes in the environment, technology, and political reporting. He worked as the editorial page editor and features writer for The Hope newspapers. His articles have not only given a voice to the voiceless in the Nigerian society, but they have also been referenced to in a number of books. As a Pulitzer Center grantee, he worked on a project that discovered the impact of climate change on the fishery sector in Nigeria.
Miguel Dobrich is a journalist, educator, and digital entrepreneur based in Montevideo, Uruguay. He is the CEO of Dobcast, a network of podcasts and a premium content YouTube channel for the Spanish-speaking world, and the founder and editor-in-chief of Amenaza Roboto, a science and technology news website operated by Dobcast Media. As a Pulitzer Center grantee, he most recently worked on a project regarding the impact of climate change on labor in the coastal zones of Uruguay.
Leandra Gonçalves is an assistant professor in the Institute of Marine Sciences at the Federal University of São Paulo. She is a biologist with a doctorate from the Institute of International Relations and a postdoctoral degree from the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo. She has been researching the different dimensions of coastal and marine management and governance for over 10 years, in particular the connections between science and policy and gender issues in the ocean. She is part of the group of researchers of the Brazilian Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. She is also one of the founders of the League of Women for the Ocean.
Almina Kacili is the head of Waifuna, the first women’s group that manages the Sasi area, in Kapatcol Village, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia. Sasi is an Indigenous customary regulation that manages local natural resources, both on land and at sea, within a certain period of time. Waifuna utilizes Sasi as a tool for economic empowerment for the women in Kapatcol Village. Sasi provides a sustainable mechanism for natural resource management, including preservation of marine life, while also giving economic benefits to the community along the shoreline. 

This webinar is part of a 3-event series, “Our Work/Environment Dialogues.” To learn about related events and register, please click the links below:
January 17: Getting to Just: Energy Transition and Its Impact on the Job Landscape and Labor Right
January 24: Work Relations, Coastal Communities, and Ocean Levels
January 31: The Cost of Comfort: How Everyday Choices and Business Practices Impact the Environment and Labor