AN ALUMNA of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters and former editor-in-chief of The Flame has won an international award for climate reporting at the 2024 Covering Climate Now (CCNow) Journalism Awards.
Gaea Katreena Cabico, who completed her bachelor’s degree in Journalism in 2017, won in the climate in every beat category for her work titled “Climate Change Is a Societal Issue. Why Is Teaching It Limited to Memorizing Science?”. She co-wrote the article with Cristina Chi for Philstar.com in 2023.
Cabico served as editor-in-chief of The Flame, the official student publication of the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, from 2016 to 2017.
The category honors stories that creatively highlight the unexplored relation of climate change to sports, arts, culture, gender and education.
According to the journalism alumna, the award symbolizes the need to “provide a space” for journalists to combat the climate crisis through storytelling across all beats.
“The public needs to understand how deeply interconnected the climate crisis is and how it impacts every aspect of our lives,” Cabico told The Flame.
“The story would not be possible without the students and educators who shared their insights. Their voices are essential in highlighting the need for a broader approach to climate education—one that integrates it into every subject, not just science,” she added.
The judges described the work as “nuts-and-bolts service journalism at its best” due to its global relevance in climate change education, according to CCNow.
A journalism mentor at media organization Climate Tracker Asia, Cabico said her time at the University and the publication have laid a strong foundation for her journalism career.
“Professors challenged us to dig deeper, to hold powerful institutions accountable, and to tell stories that matter… Beyond the classroom, The Flame provided a platform to not only hone my craft but also fueled my passion to guide and support young storytellers, especially students with a passion for climate and environmental reporting,” she said.
Cabico is set to pursue a master’s degree in Journalism at New York University, specializing in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting.
She served as a senior reporter for Philstar.com for three years. In 2020, she was among the top ten finalists at the Journalism for an Equitable Asia Award for her coverage of the Manila Bay airport project’s impact on society and the environment.
The CCNow Journalism Awards received over 1,250 entries this year, with 117 distinguished journalists selecting three winners for each of the 14 subject-based categories.
Co-founded in 2019, CCNow recognizes exceptional climate storytelling that adheres to high journalistic standards by covering the climate crisis and its potential solutions. F
