Project
Chocolates Melting Away
Climate change is an increasing threat to the crop and livelihoods in the Philippines.
What Chocolate Tells Us About Climate Resilience
Whether for summer gifts or a simple indulgence, chocolate rarely fails to bring joy. But for Donna Margallo, a cacao farmer in Davao City, Philippines, it’s more than a sweet treat. Chocolate is a reliable source of income that has helped shape her family’s future. Margallo is one of around 80,000 farmers in the Philippines who depend on cacao, making it one of the country's most important crops.
In the Pulitzer Center-supported short film Chocolates Melting Away—a collaboration between the Financial Times and One World Media—Filipino filmmaker Breech Asher Harani takes us to the Davao region of the Philippines, where cocoa farmers are facing the effects of climate change.
As El Niño brings longer and drier seasons, cacao farmers and scientists are teaming up to adapt to climate change. They turn to nature-based solutions: turning cacao pods into fertilizer, using banana stems to attract pollinators, and improving soil health through organic methods. Anticipating drought, they’re experimenting with techniques that strengthen the roots of cacao to make the most out of every drop of water.
Stories like this remind us that climate change is a deeply interconnected issue: It’s as much about business, labor welfare, science, and community resilience as it is about the environment.
The Pulitzer Center is proud to support climate and environmental journalism that holds corporations and governments accountable for environmental and ecosystem degradation, and we’re also proud to amplify stories that surface local innovations and climate solutions across the whole value chain.
As one person in the film puts it, “It’s important that the whole community enjoys, not only the retailers that enjoy the profit. It has to be the whole value chain.”
If you’d like to screen Chocolates Melting Away, we’d love to hear from you!
Best,
Impact
Under a new law that took effect on July 1, 2025, Mississippi election officials can no longer change polling places within 60 days of an election, except under special circumstances.
The bill was initially approved in the state House in 2023 but died in the Senate the following year. Later in 2024, Pulitzer Center StoryReach U.S. Fellow Ashton Pittman and the Mississippi Free Press reported that local election officials had changed 54 polling places ahead of the fall 2024 presidential election. The bill was reintroduced during the summer and passed both chambers without opposition.
“This reporting and recent changes to polling station regulations are a real testament to Ashton and his team keeping this issue in the public spotlight over the past year and in front of public officials who can effect change,” said Steve Sapienza, editorial lead for the StoryReach U.S. Fellowship program. Read the full project here.
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This message first appeared in the July 18, 2025, edition of the Pulitzer Center's weekly newsletter. Subscribe today.
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