Climate Communications in Exile With Iryna Ponedelnik

This episode features a conversation with Iryna Ponedelnik, Climate Project Manager at n-ost, a network for journalists reporting on Eastern Europe. It was recorded in person, in Tbilisi, Georgia, in August, 2024.

Iryna is a science communicator who manages projects in the field of climate change, youth engagement, and the sustainable development goals. 

As well as her work at n-ost, Iryna is a representative of Green Network, a partnership of environmental organizations, activists, initiatives, and experts united for the development of the green movement in Belarus. 

She’s a board member of the Climate Action Network for Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, has acted as an observer at COP and SB negotiations, and was awarded a green ticket for the UN Youth Climate Conference in 2019. 

Iryna and I met back in June of this year, during the UN Climate Meetings in Bonn, Germany, where I was delivering some climate communications training alongside folks from UNU-EHS and UNFCCC. Iryna was quick to question the relevance of some approaches for contexts where, for example, freedom of speech was limited. 

Following further discussion, Iryna invited me to attend n-ost’s conference on climate journalism in Tbilisi, Georgia, to hear the experiences of those reporting on climate despite a range of challenges, including censorship, authoritarianism, and full-scale war.

Amongst other things, Iryna and I discussed the lack of visibility the region has on the international stage, the surreality of being labeled an extremist, and the need to live in exile in order to talk about climate change.

Additional links:

Check out the Climate Action Network Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia

Find out more about the n-ost network for cross-border journalism

Read about and support Green Network