{"id":82247,"date":"2025-12-26T07:00:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T10:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=82247"},"modified":"2026-01-09T16:10:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T19:10:46","slug":"2025-retrospective-of-top-international-reporting-on-rios-favelas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=82247","title":{"rendered":"2025 Retrospective of Top International Reporting on Rio\u2019s Favelas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jessica<\/a>
Jessica Tapre repairs a green roof on a bus stop in Benfica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: Ian Cheibub\/NPR<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clique aqui para Portugu\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

From 2013 to 2023, RioOnWatch ran the <\/span><\/i>Best and Worst International Reporting on Rio de Janeiro\u2019s Favelas series<\/span><\/i><\/a>. It began, quite symptomatically, with the <\/span><\/i>Worst International Reporting on Rio\u2019s Favelas: 2013<\/span><\/i><\/a>, where our conclusion was stark: many articles were \u201cnot only inaccurate but dangerous in reinforcing a stigmatized, unidimensional view of Rio\u2019s favelas and their residents.\u201d Over the years, the series documented a slow yet meaningful shift\u2014not only in the portrayal of favelas and their residents in international media but also in the choice of topics and the growing nuance in reporting. This evolution culminated in the <\/span><\/i>2023 edition<\/span><\/i><\/a>, which celebrated only the best of international coverage, launching the annual Top International Reporting on Rio\u2019s Favelas series in 2024<\/a>. Written by guest collaborators, this new series highlights recommended stories on favelas, continuing <\/span><\/i>our commitment<\/span><\/i><\/a> to amplify authentic and nuanced narratives on favelas and their residents. This 2025 piece shows a strong shift towards solutions journalism<\/a> reporting on climate justice and grassroots responses by Rio’s favelas.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Sustainability and Community Response to the Climate Crisis\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Cooling Green Roofs Seemed Like an Impossible Dream for Brazil\u2019s Favelas. Not true!
\n<\/i><\/a>From NPR<\/em> by Jill Langlois<\/h4>\n

In this radio and written piece<\/a> by Jill Langlois on NPR<\/em>, residents of the Parque Arar\u00e1<\/a> favela, in Rio de Janeiro\u2019s North Zone<\/a>, are greening their roofs to mitigate extreme heat exacerbated by climate change. Under the leadership of community-based Teto Verde Favela<\/a> (Green Roof Favela), founded by Lu\u00eds Cassiano Silva, residents learn how to plant on their rooftops in a lightweight way that is safe for favela houses while maximizing cooling. <\/span>“It used to be unbearable when it was really hot out,”<\/span> says resident Reginaldo Gomes da Silva. <\/span>“But now it’s cool<\/a> enough that I can relax. Now, I can breathe again.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The story shows how such an initiative reflects local culture passed down through generations. Gomes da Silva says his passion for plants was born at home: <\/span>“My mother taught me all about how to take care of plants: when to water them, how much sun they need, what to do if they start to wilt.” <\/span>The green roof project not only lowers the temperature in the favela but also brings the community together through collective actions<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"One<\/a>
One of the top 2025 stories features Luis Cassiano’s Teto Verde Favela (Green Roof Favela), a community solution to mitigate extreme heat exacerbated by global warming. Photo: Ian Cheibub\/NPR<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How Memories of Clean Water, Frogs and Fresh Air Could Help Save Rio\u2019s Favelas from Future Climate Disaster<\/i><\/a>
\n<\/i><\/a>From The Guardian<\/em> by Julia Dias Carneiro<\/h4>\n

While reporting for The Guardian<\/em><\/a> on the opening of the Favela Climate Memory exhibition<\/a> in Mar\u00e9<\/a>, a group of 16 favelas in Rio\u2019s North Zone, Julia Dias Carneiro contextualizes how, despite historical environmental racism<\/a> stemming from State neglect<\/a>, residents have preserved memories<\/a> of a time when nature was an intrinsic part of the lives of favela residents<\/a>, as well as memories of climate catastrophes that resulted in lost lives and grassroots problem-solving. By safeguarding these memories, they assert a future of climate and environmental justice for their communities. This sensitive and in-depth piece makes clear how collective memory is a form of resistance. It also shows that solutions to the climate crisis<\/a> are emerging precisely among those most vulnerable to its impacts.<\/p>\n

\"Children<\/a>
Children in Mar\u00e9, one of Rio\u2019s many favelas, try to avoid the sewage-laden flood water on a street. The writing on the wall says: \u2018It\u2019s forbidden to leave rubbish here.\u2019 Mar\u00e9 expanded quickly in the 1940s until the city authorities moved part of its residents to Antares, 40 miles away. Photograph: AF Rodrigues\/The Guardian<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Community Solar Lights Up Homes and Businesses in Rio\u2019s Favelas<\/i><\/a>
\n<\/i><\/a>From Dialogue Earth<\/em> by Kashfi Halford<\/h4>\n

The mini-documentary by Kashfi Halford published on Dialogue Earth <\/em><\/a>features an inspiring story of a community solution in the favelas of Babil\u00f4nia<\/a> and Chap\u00e9u Mangueira<\/a>, in Rio\u2019s South Zone<\/a>. Paying high prices for electricity, <\/span>residents<\/span> decided to address the issue collectively. Revolusolar<\/a> is <\/span>\u201ca grassroots, community-run initiative to bring the benefits of solar energy to residents across Babil\u00f4nia and Chap\u00e9u Mangueira.\u201d The piece <\/span>documents Brazil’s first favela solar cooperative as a sustainable community solution and highlights the important role of creative technology, determination and agency in these communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n