Recognition for insightful reporting on the impact of climate change on salt production in Gujarat
Vaishnavi Rathore, a journalist with Scroll, has received the prestigious 2025 CCNow Journalism Award in the business and economy category. This recognition comes in light of her report detailing the challenges that climate change poses to salt production, particularly in Gujarat, India. Rathore’s report was published in February 2024 as part of Scroll’s Common Ground in-depth reporting initiative, which focuses on critical issues affecting society.
The award was presented by Covering Climate Now, an international collaboration aimed at enhancing climate change journalism. Over the past five years, this awards program has celebrated outstanding reporting on various aspects of climate change, selecting winners from a pool of more than 1,200 entries submitted by news organizations globally. The judges of the award praised Rathore’s work as “original and illuminating,” highlighting the connection she made between local climate data and the real-life experiences of laborers affected by these changes.
Rathore’s report underscores a significant trend: the Arabian Sea has experienced a more than 50% rise in cyclonic storms in recent decades, alongside notable increases in the storms’ duration and intensity. This shift in weather patterns has had dire consequences for Gujarat’s salt industry, which has thrived due to the region’s traditionally dry and sunny climate. The adverse weather events linked to climate change have not only jeopardized the livelihoods of salt miners but have also threatened the broader economic stability of the region.
Gujarat stands as India’s largest salt-producing state, making the impact of these climate changes even more critical. The report sheds light on the intricate relationship between climate change and the food system in India, emphasizing how disruptions in salt production can have cascading effects on food security. By integrating empirical climate data with personal narratives from affected workers, Rathore has effectively illustrated the human cost of climate change.
This recognition follows another significant achievement in climate journalism from Scroll. In 2023, journalist Ishan Kukreti was awarded the Covering Climate Now award in the long-form writing category for his article on India’s compensatory afforestation program. Kukreti’s work, titled “India’s ghost plantations in which millions of rupees have been sunk,” was published in January 2022 as part of the same Common Ground project.
Through her compelling storytelling and thorough research, Rathore has contributed to a growing body of work that seeks to illuminate the complexities of climate change and its far-reaching impacts on various sectors. The recognition from Covering Climate Now not only honors her individual efforts but also underscores the importance of responsible journalism in addressing one of the most pressing issues of our time.
