Reporting across borders: Strengthening climate journalism between India and Germany

Cheena Kapoor is a Delhi-based independent journalist and photographer. She writes on climate change, public health, gender, and socio-economic issues. She has been a recipient of the Thomson Reuters Foundation Grants (2020 and 2024), Climate Change News Grant, ICIMOD and GRID Arendal Grant, and COP29 and COP30 fellowships by the Earth Journalism Network. Her work has been published, among many others, by Devex, Fuller Project, Dialogue Earth and The Guardian. 

Jitendra Choubey is the Senior Assistant Editor at the National Bureau of The New Indian Express in New Delhi. His primary focus is on the intersection of environment, food, agriculture, and water policy, along with the associated geopolitical implications. Jitendra covers critical areas such as multilateral agencies, international trade policies, free trade agreements, the Indian Meteorological Department, renewable energy security, forestry and consumer rights. He worked with Down To Earth Magazine and is part of the Indo-German Media Ambassador Programme.

Jyoti Thakur is an independent journalist based in India. Her work primarily focuses on environment, health, science, energy, development, and social justice. She has reported for over a dozen media outlets including the BBC, NPR, Deutsche Welle, Nikkie Asia among others.

Kai Rüsberg works for public TV and radio of the public service network ARD in Germany since 1993. He studied at the faculty of economic, political and social sciences of the Ruhr-University RUB in Bochum, Germany. At the same time he started journalism with start-up support for a new private local radio station and founded an agency for public relations and radio services. He works for TV and radio for WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) and DLF (Deutschlandfunk).

Kristina Thomas is a freelance journalist based in Berlin. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Race & Ethnic Studies (Sociology & Human Rights) from England and a Erasmus Mundus Master's degree in Journalism, Media and Globalisation. She has worked as a freelance journalist, initially focusing on energy and climate. Since 2023, she has also reported regularly from Ukraine, as well as East-Central Europe. Her work focuses on politics, climate, social issues, and human rights. For her work as an IJP fellow at the Czech media outlet Denik N, she and her colleagues won the Czech Press Prize. Her reports, analyses, and feature articles have appeared, among others, in Tagesspiegel, Zeit Online and Neue Zürcher Zeitung. She regularly contributes articles to ntv. 
 

Lena Töpler studied creative writing and cultural journalism in Hildesheim, then lived in Spain for eight years, from where she began her authorship for radio documentaries and departed to the UK to study International Journalism at the Cardiff University. She then returned to Germany to join Reuters TV in Berlin. She maintained her activities as a freelance radio-author and has since produced numerous pieces focusing on socio-political and environmental issues. Since a fellowship with the Indo-German Media Ambassador programme, Lena has frequently returned to India to produce radio documentaries for the public German radio. 

Leon Kirschgens is 29 years old and lives in Aachen. As a freelance journalist, he attended the Cologne School of Journalism for Politics and Economics and focuses on development cooperation, sustainability and technology. When he is not busy with research, he gives seminars and workshops on media literacy, disinformation and democracy education. Leon is usually in a cheerful mood. When he's not flying a little glider plane (unfortunately only in summer), you'll find him sitting in cafés or strolling through the alleys with his analog camera trying to catch random people. He loves nothing more than the smell of spring in the air. That's why his favorite time of year is coming up again soon in Germany! 

Nimish Sawant is a Berlin-based independent journalist contributing to Indian and German publications. He writes regularly on India-Germany-related issues for the Indian newspaper The Hindu and German publications such as Table.Media, Deutschlandfunk and Deutsche Welle among others. Nimish's main forte was technology journalism, but as a freelancer, he has reported on politics, climate, culture, geopolitics and economic stories across print, radio and video. When not researching or producing stories, Nimish loves exploring Berlin's street art culture and history and going for the occasional long run. 

Ravleen Kaur is an independent journalist covering environment and rural issues. Over the years, she has covered agriculture, livelihoods, health, industrial and urban pollution, water, education, trade, wildlife, hydropower and renewable energy. She has received grants from the Earth Journalism Network and Grid Arendal, Norway to work on renewable energy and global plastic diplomacy. Her other interests include food processing, knitting and kitchen gardening.

Safina Nabi is an award-winning independent multimedia journalist. She covers South Asia and Indian-administered Kashmir, conflict, human rights, gender, health, culture, social justice, and the environment. Nabi's stories have appeared in various Indian and international outlets, including among others Foreign Policy, The Guardian and Al Jazeera. She has received grants and fellowships from the International Women's Media Fund, Pulitzer Center, Reporters Without Borders, Dart Center, and Tactical Tech. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Kashmir.

Stephen B. Harrison is the founder and managing director at sbh4 GmbH in Germany and writes for H2View. His work focuses on net-zero technologies and projects. Stephen has extensive M&A and investment due diligence advisory experience in the energy, chemicals and clean-tech sectors. In 2023, and again in 2025, Stephen evaluated a total of 14 hydrogen, e-fuels and CCU/S submissions to the European Commission’s (CINEA) third and fifth Innovation Funds. He also supports several other European agencies with project evaluations and due diligence. 

Steve Mokaya is an award-winning Kenyan journalist and podcaster specialising in environmental, climate, and development reporting. He is the 2025 IGAD Media Awards Winner (Radio Category) and a recipient of multiple national and international honours, including the IFAJ International Prize for Audio Storytelling. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Media Studies in Germany. Steve is an IJP Fellow alumnus who has reported on clean energy transition in Berlin with Clean Energy Wire. He is the founder and host of The Nature Trail Podcast.

Tapasya Pandita is an independent investigative journalist based in New Delhi. They report on political economy, corporates, public health and natural resource governance through extensive documentary evidence and fieldwork. They have received awards like the Asian College of Journalism Award for Investigative Journalism and Laadli Media Award. Their work has been published, among others, in The Reporters' Collective, Al Jazeera and The Wire.

Varsha Torgalkar is an India-based freelance journalist. She covers environment, climate change, energy, business, rural economy and travel. She has written, among others, for LA Times, Equal Times and Dialogue Earth. She has received awards including RedInk Award given by Mumbai Press Club.