Maya Kapoor is an award-winning environmental journalist covering climate policy, biodiversity, and Indigenous rights for High Country News and Undark Magazine. Her decade of reporting has illuminated the human dimensions of ecological crises, from lithium mining’s impact on tribal lands to the mental health toll of wildfire fighting.
“Grounding my work in community experiences isn’t optional—it’s how we build narratives that endure beyond news cycles.”
Kapoor’s recent accolades include facilitating science communication workshops with the National Association of Science Writers and contributing to award-winning collaborative investigations on border wall environmental impacts.
We’ve followed Maya Kapoor’s work for over a decade as she evolved from a science communicator to a leading voice in environmental and climate journalism. Based in Sacramento, California, Kapoor’s reporting spans Indigenous rights, biodiversity, and the human dimensions of ecological crises. Her freelance career includes bylines in High Country News, Undark Magazine, and Mother Jones, with a focus on amplifying marginalized perspectives in environmental policy debates.
This immersive book review dissects a memoir about living with prosopagnosia (face blindness), weaving neurological science with personal narrative. Kapoor highlights how the condition impacts social dynamics and identity, drawing parallels to environmental storytelling’s role in fostering empathy. Her analysis underscores the importance of inclusive science communication, a theme recurring in her climate reporting.
Kapoor investigates the conflict between green energy goals and Indigenous sovereignty, documenting how lithium mining for electric vehicle batteries jeopardizes sacred Hualapai sites. Through interviews with tribal leaders and environmental engineers, she exposes the false dichotomy between climate action and cultural preservation. The piece sparked national conversations about just transition frameworks.
This early-career feature established Kapoor’s knack for translating complex ecological research. She traces climate impacts on species migration patterns in the Sierra Nevada, pairing field interviews with climatologists with vivid descriptions of shifting ecosystems. The article remains a benchmark for localizing global biodiversity narratives.
Kapoor prioritizes stories that center Indigenous knowledge and frontline communities. Successful pitches should demonstrate familiarity with tribal sovereignty issues, like her Hualapai mining exposé. Avoid surface-level “green tech” narratives without addressing power dynamics.
Her Undark book review exemplifies how to frame scientific topics through human experience. Pitches about climate psychology or eco-grief should include tangible examples, such as her work on wildfire crews’ mental health.
Kapoor explores biodiversity through land stewardship practices rather than mere species counts. Reference her Sierra Nevada research when pitching stories about traditional ecological knowledge in habitat conservation.
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