Environmental crimes are complex, high-risk, and often under-reported. This article explores how WCP’s Environmental Crimes Journalism (ECJ) Fellowship is equipping Zambian journalists with the investigative skills, legal knowledge, and mentorship needed to report on environmental crime responsibly, amplify community voices, and drive accountability.
Despite millions of dollars generated from carbon credits in Eastern Zambia, many forest-dependent communities say they are kept in the dark about how much is earned from their land—and why so little reaches them. As villagers demand transparency and fair value, questions are mounting over who truly benefits from carbon trading.
In southern Zambia’s Sinazongwe district, families displaced to make way for a coal mine say development has left them poorer, sicker, and unheard. This investigation uncovers broken promises, environmental harm, and the legal gaps that continue to expose communities pushed off their land in the name of progress.