Against the backdrop of a triple planetary crisis (climate, ecological, and pollution) and growing disputes over public information, the production of open knowledge has become a crucial tool. In this context, the Climate Justice and Wikimedia Projects Working Group has, in recent years, spearheaded a regional campaign originating in Latin America that has grown in scope, participation, and impact. In 2026, this journey takes a new step forward: for the first time, the Working Group takes on the coordination of the global campaign, articulating joint efforts with different regions and communities within the Wikimedia movement under a shared identity.
On April 22, Earth Day, Wiki for Sustainable Futures 2026 was launched under the theme “Knowledge to Transform: Water, Food, and Energy.”
Why now?
The planetary crisis has a deeply interconnected water, food, and energy dimension. In much of the world, water is becoming increasingly scarce and of poorer quality. Food production depends on water and energy, both of which are under growing pressure. Even in the face of misinformation, governments recognize the need to transition to cleaner energy sources, a condition that in turn is essential for sustaining food systems – as in fertilizers – and avoiding further pollution of water resources.
2026 also marks a series of global initiatives that make this issue especially urgent: the United Nations Water Conference is being held in 2026, it is the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, the International Year of the Women Farmer and the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development. More than 50 countries are gathering in Santa Marta, Colombia, for the first conference specifically dedicated to transitioning away from oil, gas, and coal. The campaign uses these milestones as a starting point to translate them into concrete questions at the local level, recognizing that major global debates are only meaningful when communities generate locally grounded knowledge about what is happening in their own territories.
Why Wikimedia projects
Wikimedia projects do not merely reflect this knowledge; they constitute one of the most important open infrastructures through which public access to information is organized today. In an ecosystem permeated by artificial intelligence and organized disinformation, having verifiable, contextualized content available in multiple languages is not only desirable but also a necessary condition for sustaining informed debates on these topics.
Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, and other platforms in the Wikimedia ecosystem have complementary roles. Wikipedia transforms technical reports into accessible knowledge; Wikimedia Commons provides reusable images, videos, and visual materials; and Wikidata organizes structured data that can be connected and reused on a global scale. Strengthening these projects means expanding the public presence of situated knowledge, incorporating non-hegemonic languages into the international discourse, and stake a claim to one of the spaces where our shared reality is shaped today.
In this context, editing and contributing to content about water, food, and energy is also an act of journalistic integrity. Producing and maintaining reliable information on these topics directly impacts how they are understood, discussed, and debated in the public sphere.
What can be done
Participating in the campaign is a form of open knowledge volunteering, where individual contributions are integrated into a global public information infrastructure. It’s not just about editing articles, but also about connecting efforts among communities, organizations, and individuals already working on these issues in their local areas.
The campaign proposes courses of action for different profiles:
- Editors: create, improve, and translate Wikipedia articles on water, food, and energy, with a special focus on local languages and regional perspectives; enrich Wikidata with data and descriptions; upload images to Wikimedia Commons.
- Organizers: promote edit-a-thons, photo contests, webinars, and panel discussions with local experts; translate global issues into specific questions relevant to your region. Where does your city’s water come from? How many notable rural women from your region have a Wikipedia biography?
- Partner organizations: help spread the word, provide venues for activities, and connect with experts in each field.
To guide the work, the campaign has a global list of topics based on five United Nations reports. This is a starting point, not a limit: each community can adapt it to its own context.
Through July 6
The activities will take place from April 22 to July 6, World Rural Development Day. For those attending Wikimania, there will also be a meeting space to share experiences and results from the campaign.
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