A key point where social inequalities are felt is on the ground, where communities live, work, develop their social life, and their access to education and healthcare. It is on this very ground that they face the consequences of climate change and the environmental impact of economic activities that stretch the limits of nature and life.
How can community networks contribute to environmental justice? How are community-centred connectivity initiatives (CCCIs) involved in supporting and developing efforts to address these concerns?
In November 2025, the Local Networks initiative (LocNet) launched a call for narratives to gather such knowledge from communities – from their voices, experiences, reflections, creations and projects developed not only to address this urgent issue but also to protect their territories. This initiative aimed to amplify their stories, underscoring the multiple ways in which community network connectivity and socio-environmental justice intersect. Beyond looking at how Big Tech is seriously affecting the implementation of such initiatives, it also seeks to highlight the diverse ways in which communities benefit from ICTs in addressing environmental issues.
The call was a resounding success, receiving 125 submissions from across the globe. These submissions showed that communities are working hard, placing the pursuit of environmental justice at the forefront while implementing concrete measures and solutions to reverse the damage already caused. The selection criteria prioritise ensuring diversity in terms of region, theme and narrative format.
The call's final compilation of nine narratives from the Global South showcases communities living with severe environmental contamination who are using sensors to gather evidence and advocate for solutions; organisations training entrepreneurs to process e-waste and refurbish computers for digital inclusion; and illustrators and artivists portraying these realities, raising their voices to be heard loud and clear, and also finding a poetic way to do so.
The selected works are being published in batches from July to October 2026. We hope you will join us in following these stories, learning from them, and sharing them with your communities.
Second batch spotlight: Communications during climate disasters and a network protecting the environment
In this second series of stories, we highlight the importance of emergency communication infrastructure that is resilient to natural disasters and technology that supports biodiversity conservation. In this era of climate change and threats to flora and fauna, these stories are highly relevant for mitigating the effects of these challenges.
Jen Liu and Monique Verdin look back on three storms that struck New Orleans and how emergency communication systems were mobilised to ensure the safety of the population in the wake of a natural disaster. With this goal in mind, Swampnet was born, drawing on lessons learned over time and the challenges they still face in mobilising the public and activists to co-build emergency Wi-Fi networks.
Building on this same premise, Mary Ann Busano illustrates a LoRa (long-range) network serving communities in the Philippines, providing communication infrastructure in the wake of severe typhoons and floods.
In the wetlands of Zambia, Tamara Bengesai demonstrates a prototype of camouflaged telecommunications towers in Kafue National Park, ensuring that telecommunications networks serve to protect flora, fauna and local populations while minimising visual impacts and ecological disturbances.
First batch spotlight: a news report, an illustrated story and a poem
We are beginning this journey through narratives of socio-environmental justice and CCCIs in July, featuring a news report, an illustrated story and a poem.
From Nigeria, Sani Saidu recounts the systematic pollution of the Jakara river in Kano state and its effects on the local population. Through CITAD’s Sentinel project, residents use water quality sensors to alert the local population when the water should not be used for drinking or agriculture, while also using the data to push back against such socio-environmental violations.
Similarly, Mondli Kunene brings us an illustrated story from rural South Africa, where a community built a solar-powered mesh network using affordable routers and open-source software, while using air quality sensors to monitor industrial pollution emissions in real time and alerting the community via group chats about spikes in the strong odour levels.
We conclude this series with a poem by Sofia Halim from Indonesia, which addresses flash floods and how the use of community communication technologies during environmental disasters is essential in times of tragedy and in the face of the psychosocial challenges arising from these disasters.
Read all the stories here:
- A tale of three storms: Community networks in an era of climate instability, by Jen Liu and Monique Verdin
- Off-grid mesh networks: Empowering communities for disaster resilience in the Philippines, by Mary Ann Bussano
- Bridging connectivity and conservation: Camouflaged telecom infrastructure in Zambia’s wetlands, by Tamara Bengesai
- Poison at midnight: How Kano's factories are killing the Jakara river – and the people who depend on it, by Sani Saidu Muhammad.
- Rebirth. Community-centred connectivity and socio-environmental justice, by Mondli “The Artivist” Kunene
- Earth whispers on emergency frequency, by Sofia Halim
We hope you enjoy these stories of resistance in the face of socio-environmental violations and that you will follow the final instalment to complete the series, to be launched soon.
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