Antonio Cerrillo: Leading Spanish Environmental Journalist Exposing Climate Challenges

Antonio Cerrillo holds a degree in Hispanic Philology from the University of Barcelona and was awarded the National Environmental Journalism Prize in 2004. Antonio is one of the pioneering journalists in environmental reporting in Spain, a fact highlighted by the award jury, although his beginnings in this field were somewhat accidental. He had previously worked on crime, court, and local news, but “in the late ’80s, the opportunity arose to cover this area, and I decided to take it on,” he recalls. “The reason I’ve continued reporting on this for so many years is because it has driven my learning process, constantly motivating me,” he affirms.

Cerrillo was the first journalist to specialize in environmental journalism at La Vanguardia, a newspaper he joined in 1983, where he still works today. Throughout his career, he has covered a wide range of topics, including biodiversity conservation, climate change, ozone layer depletion, and environmental issues affecting Spain, particularly those related to water and waste management.

He is the author of the book “Climate Emergency: Warming Scenarios and Their Effects in Spain.” In 2024, the book “The Map of the Environmental Crisis in Spain” was published, in which Antonio provides “an x-ray” of all the conflicts afflicting Spain’s ecological transition. For this book, the journalist decided to join efforts with several colleagues — 16 in total — making it “a collective work.”

Spain is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to the impacts of climate change. Some of its ecosystems are at risk of accelerated degradation of essential natural resources such as water, fertile soil, and coastal areas. These issues arise because the right to a healthy environment is not sufficiently understood. We are lacking a judicial system that effectively resolves environmental issues and prioritizes environmental protection with a deeper understanding. It’s not just about the quality of life and people’s health — public safety and the foundations of well-being are also at stake. 

The great challenge is for Europe to continue upholding legislation that protects our environment and health. There is a trend within the European Parliament and Commission toward a “green counter-reform,” driven especially by the rise of the far right. This is a looming threat. It could mean that the degraded areas of Europe and Spain would have no chance of recovery, becoming dumping grounds and symbols of misguided development. There is a risk that Europe — and thus Spain, with all its regional differences — will lower its climate ambitions.

Phone: +34 616 35 04 02
Email: acerrillo@lavanguardia.es
Environmental Journalist at La Vanguardia

This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Spain Country Manager Juanjo Santos.