Publication Items

Houston and Other Disasters at #SEJ2022 [1]

If it often feels like the world of environmental journalism is all dour worry over our collective futures, resident humorist David Helvarg is here to remind you that our present is just as scary — if for different, and funnier, reasons. In his latest lampoon of the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual conference [2], Helvarg shares his trademark jests from Houston. Plus, (straighter) reportage from the gathering at the conference coverage page [3].

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [4]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [9]
Pollution [10]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [13]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Houston and Other Disasters at #SEJ2022 [1]
Don’t Overlook Lead Paint Toxicity Stories in Your Area [15]

Lead poisoning of U.S. drinking water has been a big headline-grabber in recent years, but there’s an even bigger environmental justice crisis — toxic lead exposure from paint. The latest TipSheet reports that this overlooked school and housing issue is getting new attention, but solving it will be difficult and expensive. Get context, reporting resources and ideas to tackle the story in your community.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [16]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [17]
Consumer [18]
Environmental Justice [19]
Government [20]
Health [21]
Infrastructure [22]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [23]
People & Population [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [24]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Don’t Overlook Lead Paint Toxicity Stories in Your Area [15]
How Ireland’s Tree Farms, Licensed With Little Environmental Assessment, Harm Biodiversity, Rural Communities [25]

A crowdsourced, crowdfunded investigation on the damage caused by the spread of commercial spruce plantations, both to the biodiversity-rich areas of Ireland and the isolated farming communities where they are planted, was the subject of an award-winning report from journalist Niall Sargent. Find out how he ID’d the problem, overcame investigative challenges and ultimately told a human-centered, data-rich story. Our latest Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [26]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [27]
Biodiversity [28]
Economy & Business [29]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [7]
Forests [30]
Government [20]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [31]
People & Population [9]
Region:
International [32]
Europe [33]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about How Ireland’s Tree Farms, Licensed With Little Environmental Assessment, Harm Biodiversity, Rural Communities [25]
Environmental Justice Beat Gets Boost From New Database [34]

The Biden administration, which has been making environmental justice a top goal, has released a new screening tool that complements existing environmental equity databases, but with especially strong attention to a range of categories like clean transit, clean water, housing issues, life expectancy and more (although, interestingly, not race). The latest Reporter’s Toolbox has a guide to the new screening tool.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [35]
Topics on the Beat:
Diversity [36]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [7]
Health [21]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [9]
Planning & Growth [37]
Policy [38]
Pollution [10]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Environmental Justice Beat Gets Boost From New Database [34]
Houston Plays Host to First On-Site SEJ Conference Since 2019 [39]

Environmental journalists from around the country and beyond will gather in Houston later this month for the Society of Environmental Journalists’ 31st annual conference. Widely known as the energy capital of the world, this highly diverse city is an ideal place to drill down on the causes and consequences of climate change and other environmental issues of the day.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Air [42]
Biodiversity [28]
Chemicals [17]
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [43]
Diversity [36]
Economy & Business [29]
Energy & Fuel [44]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [7]
Fish & Fisheries [45]
Food [46]
Forests [30]
Government [20]
Health [21]
Infrastructure [22]
Journalism & Media [8]
Laws & Regulations [23]
People & Population [9]
Planning & Growth [37]
Policy [38]
Pollution [10]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [47]
Science [48]
Technology [49]
Transportation [50]
Waste [51]
Water & Oceans [11]
Wildlife [52]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [13]
International [32]
Mexico [53]
Central America & the Caribbean [54]
Europe [33]
South America [55]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Houston Plays Host to First On-Site SEJ Conference Since 2019 [39]
Aussie Author’s Angry Look at ‘Crimes Against Nature’ [56]

A historical look at how profit and capitalism have ravaged the natural world is the subject of our new BookShelf review. Contributor Melody Kemp offers her take on award-winning Australian journalist Jeff Sparrow’s forthcoming volume, which explores the damage wrought by cars, roads and PR spin, as well as solutions suggested by models of Indigenous land management.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [57]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Climate Change [5]
Economy & Business [29]
Environmental Politics [7]
Infrastructure [22]
Natural Resources [31]
People & Population [9]
Policy [38]
Pollution [10]
Transportation [50]
Region:
International [32]
Australia & Oceania [58]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Aussie Author’s Angry Look at ‘Crimes Against Nature’ [56]
Climate Crisis May Quickly Confront U.S., World With National Security Threats [59]

The climate-security nexus has drawn attention from the Biden administration, but less so elsewhere, even as security experts worry about climate change as a threat multiplier that can exacerbate other causes of conflict. Our new Backgrounder explores these concerns, with a look at how the issue has played out in recent U.S. politics. Plus, seven global regions where climate change may worsen ongoing conflict.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [60]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [43]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [7]
Food [46]
Government [20]
Military [61]
Natural Resources [31]
People & Population [9]
Policy [38]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
International [32]
Mexico [53]
Africa [62]
Antarctica & Arctic [63]
Asia [64]
Central America & the Caribbean [54]
Middle East [65]
South America [55]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Climate Crisis May Quickly Confront U.S., World With National Security Threats [59]
Walking With the ‘Guardians of the Forest’ — Lessons From Coverage of Amazonian Fires [66]

Three teams of video journalists descended on the Brazilian Amazon amid some of its worst-ever fires to capture efforts of Indigenous rainforest “guardians” to protect it from destruction. They returned with award-winning reporting, but also a deeper understanding of the region and its people, and of how to bring the climate change story closer to home. They share their experiences, in the new EJ InSight.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ InSight [67]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [41]
Agriculture [27]
Biodiversity [28]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [7]
Forests [30]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [31]
People & Population [9]
Region:
International [32]
South America [55]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Walking With the ‘Guardians of the Forest’ — Lessons From Coverage of Amazonian Fires [66]
Covering Climate Change in the Forgotten Places: A Moroccan Journalist’s View [68]

Environmental journalist Khalid Bencherif struggled to bring the emergent effects of climate change to the attention of local audiences facing many other pressing problems. So he told a powerful story grounded in personal experience, traveling to his childhood home in Morocco’s Tafilalet region, where deepening drought is hitting the oases hard and driving many villagers from their homes.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [4]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [7]
Government [20]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [31]
People & Population [9]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [47]
Science [48]
Technology [49]
Water & Oceans [11]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Africa [62]
Middle East [65]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Covering Climate Change in the Forgotten Places: A Moroccan Journalist’s View [68]
Curso de Intercambio Virtual Fomenta la "Competencia Global" Para Estudiantes de Periodismo [69]

Cuando los programas de intercambio para estudiantes de periodismo fueron cancelados a causa del COVID 19, el personal docente de dos importantes universidades – una en Estados Unidos y otra en Colombia- recurrió a su creatividad, mediante la construcción de un escenario de intercambio virtual colaborativo sobre asuntos medioambientales de preocupación para ambos países. La EJ Academy explica el funcionamiento de dicho intercambio y augura programas similares en el futuro.

SEJ Publication Types:
EJ Academy [70]
Topics on the Beat:
Diversity [36]
Environmental Justice [19]
Environmental Politics [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [9]
Region:
National (U.S.) [12]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [24]
International [32]
South America [55]
Visibility:
Public [14]
- Read more about Curso de Intercambio Virtual Fomenta la "Competencia Global" Para Estudiantes de Periodismo [69]

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