health, and its hindrance to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. comes to addressing the climate crisis. Governance systems that allow for free flow of information and citizen participation appear to be more equipped to provide an effective response to the complex challenges of climate change than totalitarian regimes. The significance of journalism and freedom of expression in relation to climate change is evident. Climate change, freedom of expression and democracy In democratic societies, people and institutions can freely debate concerns connected to climate change, disseminate scientific knowledge, and promote solutions without fear of retaliation or censorship. Climate change intersects with freedom of expression, democracy, and good governance in multifaceted and complex ways. However, increasingly there is fear attached to climate change journalism, leading to censorship as there are strong business interests linked to the environmental crisis. A functional democracy relies heavily on journalism and freedom of expression. Democracies have several benefits when it Climate change journalism has become a high 7 STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2023