19 February 2023. Alexandre Brutelle, investigative journalist and M100 alumnus, has led the Environmental Investigative Forum (EIF) since its inception in 2020. The EIF, based in Paris, is the first and only global environmental investigative journalism consortium focused on building capacity and developing resources for environmental journalists worldwide. It has received support from the EU Journalism Fund, the Earth Journalism Network and the Pulitzer Center in recent years to develop innovative reporting techniques using satellite imagery. In 2023, the organisation plans to open its board to regional investigative networks around the world, which will participate in further shaping the EIF’s goals and collectively shape new standards.
“The EIF is not concerned with climate change, but with the unlawful methods used by polluters to maintain their unsustainable monopolies over natural resources,” Alexandre says. The EIF’s last investigation, published in Disclose (France) and Investigate Europe, had led to the prosecution of the once largely unknown second French oil producer Perenco. The company is currently being sued by non-governmental organisations Sherpa and Friends of The Earth for environmental damage in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the EIF uncovered pollution by the company across the country. As part of the upcoming M100YEJ in September, Alexandre will give a workshop on studying environmental risks and impacts at a supra-regional level.
