Jump to navigation

Home Your source for environment, energy, science, health, and climate reporting
Menu
  • Home
  • Donate
  • Join / Renew
  • Members Only
  • My Profile
  • Contact Us
  • Reach SEJ Members
  • Volunteer
  • RSS

Search form

Advanced Search

 

 

 

  SEJ2026 Annual Conference | Chicago — Register Now

Mobile Navigation

  • Home
  • SEJ Initiatives
  • SEJ Publications
  • Calendar
  • Resources
  • About SEJ
  • Donate to SEJ
  • Site Map
  • SEJ Initiatives
    • Annual Conferences
    • Awards for Reporting on the Environment
    • Diverse Perspectives
    • Fellowships
    • Freedom of Information
    • Fund for Environmental Journalism
    • Mentor Program
    • Regional Conferences and Webinars
    • Young Journalists and the News
  • SEJ Publications
    • EJToday
    • SEJournal
    • Special Reports
    • Topics on the Beat
    • Climate Change Resource Guide
  • Calendar
    • All Events
    • Awards
    • News Events/Press Conferences
    • Professional Meetings
    • SEJ Annual Conferences
    • SEJ Regional Conferences and Webinars
    • Workshops and Fellowships
    • Other Events
  • Resources
    • Awards, Grants, Fellowships and Workshops (non-SEJ)
    • Blogs and More
    • Books
    • Covering Protests and Staying Safe in Person and Online
    • COVID-19 Resources for Journalists
    • Environmental Podcasts
    • Featured Journalists
    • Freelance
    • Jobs
    • Reporting Tools
    • SEJ Canada
    • SEJ Español
    • Source Lists
    • Teaching Tools
    • Useful Links
  • About SEJ
    • Vision and Mission
    • History
    • SEJ Advisory Boards, Committees and Task Forces
    • SEJ Bylaws, Policies, Agreements and Guidelines
    • SEJ Executive Director's Report
    • SEJ President's Report
    • Accolades
    • Board & Staff
    • Board Meetings
    • Donate
    • Form 990s
    • Funding Sources
    • Join SEJ
    • Obituaries/Deaths in the SEJ Family
    • Past SEJ Board Presidents
    • Renew Your Membership
    • Sign Up for SEJ Discussion Listservs (members only)
    • Strategic Plan
    • Subscribe to SEJ Info Mailing Lists
    • Volunteer With SEJ
Sign In
About SEJ Join SEJ Support SEJ SEJ2026 Conference

SEJ - The Short List

RSS

Top Environment and Energy Topics To Watch in 2026

Explore our 10th annual Journalists’ Guide to Environment + Energy, as we scour the beat to identify 15 top stories to put on your radar for 2026. Our updated format for the special report provides a quick read and a broad scope — with insights on climate change and environmental justice, bird and insect declines, data centers and deep sea mining, deregulation and PFAS and much more. Get started here.

GO

SEJ Annual Conferences

Register now for SEJ2026, April 15-18 hosted by the University of Illinois Chicago, to secure your spot in a community dedicated to uncovering solutions and pursuing stories that matter in a rapidly changing world. Together, we’ll meet this critical moment with shared purpose and determination to safeguard and shape the future of environmental journalism.

  • Visit the conference website
  • Full Conference Passes: SEJ Members
  • Full Conference Passes: Nonmembers
  • Single Day Passes
GO

Donate to SEJ

Layoffs, political pressure and a tidal wave of disinformation threaten environmental journalism today — but SEJ is here for the reporters on the front lines. Help us keep fueling the journalism our communities depend on. Gifts of $100+ will earn an SEJ tote bag!

Support SEJ

GO

SEJ Speaks on FOI Issues

See the latest actions taken by SEJ advocating access to environmental information, press freedom and supporting the media's right to know on behalf of the public, including condemning the FBI search of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's home and seizure of her electronic devices.

GO

SEJ Publication Highlights

Between the Lines — Writing Nature Through Illness and Disability

01/14/2026 – Writers with disabilities and chronic illnesses explore perspectives on nature and environment in a unique anthology, “Moving Mountains.” Editor Louise Kenward discusses the recent volume with contributor William Allen in a new BookShelf “Between the Lines” Q&A — the connection between climate change and disability, the benefits of learning to rest, the value of engaging with different perspectives and more. 
VIEW ARTICLE

EPA’s Brownfields Data, Covered With Crud?

01/14/2026 – Hundreds of thousands of polluted, abandoned industrial sites — called brownfields — dot the United States. For reporters seeking local environmental stories, this profusion of problem spots cries out for coverage. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox points you to a series of government databases that track them and let you map them, but warns that the going won’t be easy. Find out why.
VIEW ARTICLE

Even in This Toxic River — A Salmon Story

01/07/2026 – Seattle’s heavily polluted Duwamish River is no place to catch fish — except for salmon, which pass quickly through these troubled waters on their way from the sea to their freshwater spawning grounds. With fishing pole in hand, environmental journalist Alex Brown joins jostling crowds of industrial-zone anglers and catches a firsthand view of a spectacle that is both anomalous and awe-inspiring.
VIEW ARTICLE

Enjoy our selection of quotes celebrating journalism and free speech. Submit yours! Click here.

 

"The best way to engage the audience's attention is to get to the point, and stay there."

— Paula LaRoque

 

 


EJToday: Headlines

RSS
  • "Insured Losses From Wildfire, Storms And Floods Hit Record High Globally"
    LA Times, 01/16/2026
  • "Pipeline Safety Enforcement Cut In Half In Trump’s First Year"
    E&E News, 01/16/2026
  • Trump DOJ Sues California Over Law Keeping Oil Wells From Homes, Schools
    LA Times, 01/16/2026
  • "Pentagon To Overhaul Independent Military Newspaper, Calling It ‘Woke’"
    Washington Post, 01/16/2026
  • "Why Your Power Bill Is Spiking Faster Than A Nearby Data Center’s"
    Washington Post, 01/16/2026
  • Scientists Call Near-Record Hot Year Warning Of A Shifting, Dangerous Climate
    AP, 01/16/2026
  • US Makes $500M Venezuelan Oil Deal; Some Proceeds Headed To Qatari Bank
    The Hill, 01/16/2026
  • "New York Offshore Wind Project Allowed to Restart Construction — for Now"
    Inside Climate News, 01/16/2026
  • "Built To Last: The Enduring Legacy Of The Endangered Species Act"
    National Parks Traveler, 01/16/2026
  • "At Detroit Auto Show, Spotlight Dims For EVs"
    AP, 01/16/2026
ALL EJTODAY HEADLINES
Find out about our
Freedom of Information
Task Force
.

Quick Links

  • #SEJ2025 Annual Conference, Arizona, Apr 23-26
  • Board Business
    (SEJ members only; log-in required)
  • Journalism Job Links
  • Sign Up for SEJ Listservs
  • Subscribe to SEJ Info Mailing Lists

SEJ.org is a treasure chest of information useful to your reporting. Search website content by topics on the beat, including:

Agriculture topic graphic Biodiversity topic graphic Climate Change topic graphic
Disasters topic graphic Energy topic graphic Environmental Justice topic graphic
The Food System topic graphic Hurricanes topic graphic Water & Oceans topic graphic
Wildfire topic graphic

See all!

 

WHY Join SEJ?

SEJ's mission is to strengthen coverage of environment, energy, health and climate news, by supporting the journalists who report that news. The benefits of joining include: access to grants for environmental reporting; mentoring by experienced journalists; and members-only e-mailing lists for sharing professional tips, news, and information. SEJ members meet and learn face-to-face from fellow members, other media professionals and topic experts, at our annual conference and volunteer-organized regional gatherings.

 

 
FaceBook icon Instagram icon LinkedIn icon X icon

Join the SEJ members-only Facebook Group here.

Journalists, Students & Educators:


Advertisement

Advertise with SEJ

 

Upcoming Calendar Events

  • Saturday, January 17, 2026
    DEADLINE: World Press Photo Contest
  • Sunday, January 18, 2026
    DEADLINE: MegaCities-ShortDocs Film Festival
  • Tuesday, January 20, 2026
    JournalismFund.eu Introductory Webinar: Expert-Reviewed Journalism for Cross-Border Grants

Donate to SEJ

SEJ's Board of Directors is actively seeking donations from individuals from all walks of life.

 

  • Contact Us  |
  • Donate  |
  • Join  |
  • Members  |
  • Privacy & Security Policies  |
  • Reach SEJ Members  |
  • Renew  |
  • Site Map
The Society of Environmental Journalists
1629 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone: (202) 558-2055
Email: sej@sej.org
© 2026 The Society of Environmental Journalists. All Rights Reserved.
All graphics © SEJ, unless otherwise stated.