TV journalist Vanessa Hauc wants to make sure that people on the front lines of climate change are fully informed on the topic.

Huac: “Latino communities and minorities are the most affected.”

For example, hurricanes and wildfires have hit Florida, Texas, and California particularly hard. More than half of Latino Americans live in those three states.

Hauc says early in her career, stories about the environment often did not reach Latinos.

Hauc: “The number one problem was that there was lack of information in Spanish.”

So Hauc created a program on Telemundo called “Alerta Verde,” or Green Alert, about environmental issues and ways to get involved.

Hauc: “The segment was very successful, and step by step, our network and the people that I work with started getting interested in the subject and realized that this was a great investment for our community and for our network.”

Now, Hauc heads a news unit called “Planeta Tierra,” or Planet Earth. It emphasizes the effects of climate change on Latino Americans and the countries they come from.

Research shows that Latinos strongly support climate action. Hauc wants to help them stay as educated and engaged as possible.

Hauc: “This is a community that is ready to work for the protection of the planet.”

Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media.
Photo credit: Vanessa Hauc / Facebook.