Publication Items

Covering Native Connection to the Land [1]

Whether it's pipelines bringing leaks, coastal erosion and storms bringing displacement, or now, increasingly, data centers bringing loss of sovereignty, the central relationship that Indigenous communities have with place is under constant peril. Voices columnist Yessenia Funes urges fellow environmental journalists during Native American Heritage Month to refocus on the rich stories of Indigenous struggles and victories.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Energy & Fuel [6]
Environmental Health [7]
Environmental Justice [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
People & Population [12]
Pollution [13]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [14]
Waste [15]
Water & Oceans [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Alaska and Hawaii [18]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [19]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [20]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Covering Native Connection to the Land [1]
Reporting From the Blue — An Ocean of Opportunities [22]

As a veteran of reporting on the marine environment, David Helvarg is encouraged by recent improvements in the quality of ocean journalism, but sees a pressing need for more hands on deck. Offering inspiration from his own career, he notes that the world’s rapidly changing oceans hold an abundance of stories and urges others to dive in and explore them.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [23]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Biodiversity [24]
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Environmental Health [7]
Fish & Fisheries [25]
Government [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Natural Resources [26]
Science [27]
Technology [28]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [31]
International [32]
Canada [33]
Antarctica & Arctic [34]
Asia [35]
Australia & Oceania [36]
Central America & the Caribbean [37]
Middle East [38]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Reporting From the Blue — An Ocean of Opportunities [22]
Bringing Personal Perspective to Disaster [39]

TV journalist Jacob Soboroff grew up in Pacific Palisades, so when the Los Angeles neighborhood was swept by wildfires in 2024, he reported from familiar sites as they burned. He writes about the experience in “Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster,” whose strength BookShelf contributor Jennifer Weeks says is its street-level descriptions of chasing the fast-developing story. Read her review.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [5]
Journalism & Media [11]
People & Population [12]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
California [41]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Bringing Personal Perspective to Disaster [39]
Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic? [42]

If you’ve been pondering what recent Cyclospora, Legionella and Ebola outbreaks tell us about the state of preparedness for future pandemics, Backgrounder has some sobering insights. A reminder of the uneven response to COVID-19 and a look forward at how current Trump administration policy has weakened public health structures and likely left us unready for what’s ahead.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [43]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [5]
Government [10]
Health [44]
People & Population [12]
Policy [45]
Science [27]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [32]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic? [42]
Wildfire Data, With Its Hair on Fire [46]

As wildfires rage in the U.S. West, Canada and other hot spots around the globe, reporters covering this environmental hazard in the United States can access high-quality data of exceptional timeliness via the Watch Duty app, finds the latest Reporter’s Toolbox. The tool offers everything from emergency notifications to data deep dives, all smartly integrated in its mapping interface.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [47]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [5]
Health [44]
Journalism & Media [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
California [41]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [48]
Northwest (OR WA) [49]
International [32]
Canada [33]
Europe [50]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Wildfire Data, With Its Hair on Fire [46]
Why the Loss of Voting Rights Is a Climate Crisis [51]

When the Supreme Court further hollowed out the Voting Rights Act this spring, it augured a historic loss of civic power for Black communities. And with that comes a further blow — to progress on the environment. For as Voices of Environmental Justice columnist Yessenia Funes explains, key to climate policy are Black voters, and the Black legislators they bring into office.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Environmental Justice [8]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Laws & Regulations [52]
People & Population [12]
Policy [45]
Pollution [13]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [31]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Why the Loss of Voting Rights Is a Climate Crisis [51]
Is Climate Disaster Insurance a Worsening Disaster? [53]

The growing disconnect between climate risk and risk insurance for homeowners is leaving millions on the knife-edge of economic disaster. But the latest TipSheet suggests that reality offers environmental journalists an opportunity to navigate the morass, community by community. Get more than a dozen story ideas and reporting resources in the latest column.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [54]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Consumer [55]
Disasters [5]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Laws & Regulations [52]
People & Population [12]
Planning & Growth [56]
Policy [45]
Water & Oceans [16]
Wildlife [29]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
California [41]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [30]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Is Climate Disaster Insurance a Worsening Disaster? [53]
How Attribution Science Can Help Reporters on the Heat Beat [57]

With 2026 shaping up to be an exceptional El Niño year, expect lots of record-breaking heat waves and other extreme weather. But climate change will also contribute. Explaining the role of both is essential to complete coverage. Journalist Ethan Brown shares tips and resources for using climate attribution science as a powerful reporting tool. Plus, five questions to ask while covering the next extreme climate event.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [23]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Environmental Politics [9]
Environmental Studies [58]
Journalism & Media [11]
Policy [45]
Science [27]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [32]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about How Attribution Science Can Help Reporters on the Heat Beat [57]
Risk Data Is There Despite Efforts To Hide It [59]

Hazmat risk data has long been subject to blackout efforts by industry. And now, Trump administration allies may change the rules to make existing information even harder to get. But Reporter’s Toolbox knows where journalists can still find the goods to support their reporting. Read on to learn about risks to the program in question — and Toolbox workarounds.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [47]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [60]
Chemicals [61]
Disasters [5]
Environmental Politics [9]
Government [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Laws & Regulations [52]
Policy [45]
Pollution [13]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Risk Data Is There Despite Efforts To Hide It [59]
Extreme Heat Will Get You This Summer. Watch Out! [62]

With the approach of what looks like an unusually hot summer, the latest TipSheet offers guidance on covering extreme heat, starting with the step-by-step basics of understanding heat’s health impacts, from dehydration to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Plus, get 10 story ideas and reporting resources to cover the dangers of extreme heat locally.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [54]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Health [44]
Journalism & Media [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [17]
International [32]
Visibility:
Public [21]
- Read more about Extreme Heat Will Get You This Summer. Watch Out! [62]

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