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“I decided to pursue a career in climate communications in part because of my initial interest in journalism, but also as a way to recognise that each one of us can do our bit to advance climate action from our areas of expertise.” 

Sebastian Rodriguez Vargas began as a young reporter in Costa Rica – but as his awareness of the climate crisis and its future impact grew, he embarked on the MSc Climate Change, Development and Policy here at Sussex to better understand how to make a difference. 

In this blog for , he explains the skills he developed and offers advice for anyone wanting to pursue a career in climate journalism. 

Tell us about your work, and what inspires you to tell the stories you tell… 

Starting out as a junior reporter for a national newspaper in Costa Rica, I first got introduced to climate issues by a colleague in the science and environment section. The first few stories I wrote were enough for me to recognise the extraordinary scale of the challenges ahead, and the staggering need for people committed to solving these challenges.  

As a young reporter, I had to cover and experience first-hand the stories about how climate was going to cripple my country and my communities, including hurricane impacts, biodiversity loss and financial losses.  

I decided to pursue a career in climate communications in part because of my initial interest in journalism, but also as a way to recognise that each one of us can do our bit to advance climate action from our areas of expertise. 

How did your time at Sussex help to guide you to the role you're in now? What skills did you learn that have helped you in your research and writing? 

I entered the MSc Climate Change, Development and Policy because I was seeking general knowledge in the fields of policy and development studies, and hopefully find a niche that I was interested in. I am now working as an investigative journalist and the skills that I obtained from studying this degree have absolutely strengthened the quality of my work.  

First, I have managed to focus on areas of interest such as international climate finance and energy policy. Also, having conducted in-depth research as part of the course, I've now become more familiar with data sources, techniques for reading scientific and corporate reports and understanding insights from climate models.  

I have put all of these skills and more into practice in my field as a journalist, which requires me to understand and evaluate the quality of different data sources, as well as being up to date with the latest research on climate policy and development. 

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to pursue a career in climate journalism? 

I would also advise you to find the niches in climate action that interest you the most. Solving climate change requires changes in every part of society, so it's easy to find a niche that can be interesting for you. There are amazing journalists specialising in every beat imaginable, including climate litigation, impacts of climate change on mental health, or how financial markets respond to climate change.  

Not every story has to be about science and mathematical models. It's just a matter of finding the stories you want to tell. 

and check out for his latest investigations.