Publication Items

What’s Ahead on Climate Justice, Climate Crisis Beat [1]

What environment stories will matter most in 2024 to communities of color and Indigenous communities? Columnist Yessenia Funes sheds light on concerns ranging from the environmental damage in Gaza and extreme weather across the United States to the fallout from the U.S. presidential election to the local impacts of the clean energy transition. Insights in the latest Voices of Environmental Justice.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Diversity [6]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Government [11]
Health [12]
Infrastructure [13]
Journalism & Media [14]
Military [15]
People & Population [16]
Planning & Growth [17]
Policy [18]
Pollution [19]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
Alaska and Hawaii [22]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [24]
International [25]
Middle East [26]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about What’s Ahead on Climate Justice, Climate Crisis Beat [1]
U.S. Offshore Wind May Not Stay Becalmed for Long [28]

While the first offshore wind turbine started sending power into the U.S. grid just last month, and the renewable power source has enthusiastic support from the Biden administration, the industry has been slowed by politics, high interest rates and supply chain problems. But the latest Issue Backgrounder explores why offshore wind can be expected to succeed.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Environmental Health [30]
Environmental Politics [10]
Fish & Fisheries [31]
Government [11]
Infrastructure [13]
Laws & Regulations [32]
Natural Resources [33]
Policy [18]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about U.S. Offshore Wind May Not Stay Becalmed for Long [28]
Want To Protect Your Sources? It Helps To Know the Law [34]

With climate-related legal disputes playing out worldwide, we could see more environmental journalists facing subpoenas to access their newsgathering materials and reveal their sources. Case in point: the legal battle embroiling a news nonprofit over its coverage of pipeline protests. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press’ Chris Young looks at shield laws and resources to help deal with legal threats to your journalistic integrity.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [35]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Government [11]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [32]
Natural Resources [33]
Policy [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
Alaska and Hawaii [22]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [36]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [37]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Want To Protect Your Sources? It Helps To Know the Law [34]
Student Journalists Show the Way on Data With Methane Flaring Project [38]

The global warming gas methane was much in the news at the start of the just-ended COP28 climate meeting, with a final Biden administration rule to trim releases by the fossil fuel industry. But when it comes to good journalism on the problem, the latest Reporter’s Toolbox spotlights the work of a team of journalism students who used sophisticated satellite data to tell the story of underreported methane flaring at drilling sites.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [39]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [40]
Climate Change [4]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Journalism & Media [14]
Pollution [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [41]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [37]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [24]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [42]
International [25]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Student Journalists Show the Way on Data With Methane Flaring Project [38]
Reporter Unravels Complex Dynamic Between Climate Change and Nature [43]

Nature-based climate solutions have become a much-talked-of topic, one that journalist Gabriel Popkin turned into a loose beat through which to explore the complicated realities beyond some easy narratives. The resulting stories were published widely to high praise, and in the latest Inside Story Q&A, Popkin spoke about his efforts and offered up five critical factors for producing original, impactful journalism.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [45]
Climate Change [4]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Environmental Health [30]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Studies [46]
Forests [47]
Journalism & Media [14]
Natural Resources [33]
Planning & Growth [17]
Policy [18]
Science [48]
Technology [49]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [50]
International [25]
Europe [51]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Reporter Unravels Complex Dynamic Between Climate Change and Nature [43]
Floods, Fires, Dysfunction — Another Year Ahead of Faltering Steps on Environment, Energy [52]

In our annual look-ahead on the environment and energy beat in 2024, we see a bumpy ride on global climate change talks coupled with more climate-driven disasters, even amid the evolving energy transition. And we see possible risks to ocean life from deep sea mining and continuing risks to human life from pollution of air, water and land. Insights in our overview [52] and our full “2024 Journalists’ Guide to Environment & Energy [53]” special report.

SEJ Publication Types:
Special Reports [54]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [40]
Biodiversity [55]
Chemicals [56]
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [5]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Environmental Health [30]
Environmental Justice [9]
Environmental Politics [10]
Forests [47]
Government [11]
Health [12]
Infrastructure [13]
Laws & Regulations [32]
Natural Resources [33]
Policy [18]
Pollution [19]
Transportation [57]
Waste [58]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
International [25]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Floods, Fires, Dysfunction — Another Year Ahead of Faltering Steps on Environment, Energy [52]
Covering Food Systems — The Next Climate Action Battleground [59]

Freelance food systems reporter Thin Lei Win believes that if the world doesn’t change the way it produces, processes, transports, consumes and discards food, climate change will worsen and hunger levels will spike. But she also worries that powerful interests want to keep the status quo and cites parallels with the tobacco and fossil fuel industries. More in Freelance Files, including places for freelancers to pitch climate-food stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [60]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [45]
Climate Change [4]
Consumer [61]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Food [62]
Journalism & Media [14]
People & Population [16]
Policy [18]
Pollution [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
International [25]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Covering Food Systems — The Next Climate Action Battleground [59]
Electric Vehicles Will Be Burning Rubber in 2024 [63]

As global sales of electric vehicles surge, the positive impact on climate change emissions could be a critical benefit. But as our Backgrounder points out, it’s not as simple as that. There are challenges with politics, tax laws, mineral access, related pollution regulations and union jobs. Get an overview of the issue, in this latest entry in our expanding 2024 Journalists’ Guide to Environment + Energy.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Consumer [61]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Environmental Politics [10]
Government [11]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [32]
Natural Resources [33]
Policy [18]
Pollution [19]
Science [48]
Technology [49]
Transportation [57]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
International [25]
Asia [64]
Europe [51]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Electric Vehicles Will Be Burning Rubber in 2024 [63]
Prying Open the Statehouse Doors [65]

Reporting on environmental stories often leads to the state legislature, where key material can be frustratingly hard to access. Whether that’s because the state is deliberately hiding information, has poor systems for sharing it or isn’t even tracking it, there are ways to get what you need. Four seasoned environment reporters offer tips, tricks and commiseration.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [35]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [40]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Government [11]
Infrastructure [13]
Journalism & Media [14]
Laws & Regulations [32]
Natural Resources [33]
Policy [18]
Water & Oceans [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
California [66]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [50]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [23]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [42]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Prying Open the Statehouse Doors [65]
Wildfire DisInformation Becomes a State Weapon, Aided by AI [67]

How did the Lahaina wildfire spark an AI-driven influence campaign out of China? Perhaps a technological leap. Or perhaps, the new WatchDog Opinion column suggests, a natural evolution of a decades-old disinformation playbook with roots in a war against science and culminating in climate denial. A look at the disturbing prospects and a plea for journalists not to sidestep the phenomenon but to cover it.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [68]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [56]
Climate Change [4]
Economy & Business [7]
Energy & Fuel [8]
Environmental Politics [10]
Journalism & Media [14]
Policy [18]
Science [48]
Region:
National (U.S.) [21]
International [25]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Wildfire DisInformation Becomes a State Weapon, Aided by AI [67]

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