Publication Items

The Battle To Protect Congo’s Vast Peatlands [1]

The Congo Basin is home to the biggest network of tropical peatlands in the world, a vast carbon storehouse central to combating the challenge of climate change. A team of reporters made the journey to this little-covered region and returned with an award-winning feature that told the tale not just of the peatlands, but of the people that protect it. The latest Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Forests [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [9]
People & Population [10]
Region:
International [11]
Africa [12]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about The Battle To Protect Congo’s Vast Peatlands [1]
At Mid-Year, SEJ Celebrates New Records, New Faces and Important Legacies [14]

SEJ board president Luke Runyon (pictured, left) shares news about the April 2024 annual conference in Philadelphia, conference director Jay Letto’s retirement, organizational updates, changes on the board of directors and upcoming elections, the new SEJ Future Council and the call for nominations for the annual Stolberg Meritorious Service Award.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ Presidents Report [15]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about At Mid-Year, SEJ Celebrates New Records, New Faces and Important Legacies [14]
Sniffing Out Invasive Plant Species — Conservation Canines in Action [17]

Plant species that take root outside their normal range and spread aggressively are wreaking havoc in ecosystems worldwide. But specially trained detection dogs are on the job, following their noses to find the invaders so they can be eradicated. Contributor Nancy Castaldo reports on a demo of this conservation tool by a scent-savvy Lab and his devoted handler.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [19]
Climate Change [3]
Forests [7]
Science [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [21]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [22]
International [11]
Europe [23]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Sniffing Out Invasive Plant Species — Conservation Canines in Action [17]
Will the Coming Plastics Treaty Solve the Problem Or Enshrine It? [24]

A major intergovernmental gathering later this year will address plastic pollution, including in oceans. But an overview from our Issue Backgrounder notes that the likelihood of solving the problem may be small. One reason? Petrochemical industry lobbying. Another? The shifting world market for plastic waste. And there are more concerns, such as the effectiveness of incineration and chemical recycling techniques. More, including questions to ask, in Backgrounder.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [25]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [26]
Climate Change [3]
Consumer [27]
Economy & Business [28]
Energy & Fuel [29]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [30]
Health [31]
Journalism & Media [8]
Policy [32]
Pollution [33]
Waste [34]
Water & Oceans [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [11]
Asia [36]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Will the Coming Plastics Treaty Solve the Problem Or Enshrine It? [24]
Pulling Back the Curtain on the Plunder of the Planet [37]

“Pitfall: The Race to Mine the World’s Most Vulnerable Places,” a new work by investigative journalist Christopher Pollon, offers a sweeping global view of how the mining industry profits, despite causing vast environmental losses and failing to acknowledge Indigenous ownership or rights to the land it mines. BookShelf’s Melody Kemp lauds Pollon’s searing observations and investigations. Read her review.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [38]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [39]
Biodiversity [19]
Consumer [27]
Economy & Business [28]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Fish & Fisheries [40]
Forests [7]
Natural Resources [9]
Policy [32]
Pollution [33]
Technology [41]
Water & Oceans [35]
Wildlife [42]
Region:
International [11]
Africa [12]
Asia [36]
Australia & Oceania [43]
South America [44]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Pulling Back the Curtain on the Plunder of the Planet [37]
From Reporter to Author — How I Published My First Book [45]

When freelancer Sophie Yeo first thought of writing a book, it seemed an impossible task. But with a successful website under her belt, she plunged in. Two missed deadlines and one baby later, she had her book, a history of the natural world titled “Nature’s Ghosts: The World We Lost and How To Bring It Back.” How she got there, and lessons learned, in the new Freelance Files.

SEJ Publication Types:
Freelance Files [46]
Topics on the Beat:
Biodiversity [19]
Environmental Health [4]
Journalism & Media [8]
Science [20]
Wildlife [42]
Region:
International [11]
Europe [23]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about From Reporter to Author — How I Published My First Book [45]
‘Green’ Steel: Five Things To Know About the U.S. Transition [47]

Plans for two new U.S. facilities that will use hydrogen instead of coal to make steel hold the promise of decarbonizing this essential but dirty industry. But don’t expect overnight change. Reporter Maria Gallucci looks at the complexities of making the switch, from ditching the blast furnace to reducing pollution all along the supply chain.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [39]
Air [48]
Chemicals [26]
Climate Change [3]
Economy & Business [28]
Energy & Fuel [29]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Justice [5]
Environmental Politics [6]
Government [30]
Natural Resources [9]
Policy [32]
Pollution [33]
Science [20]
Technology [41]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [49]
Mid-Atlantic (DC DE MD PA VA WV) [21]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [50]
International [11]
Europe [23]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about ‘Green’ Steel: Five Things To Know About the U.S. Transition [47]
Harnessing the Power of Global Forest Watch for Data-Driven Reporting on Land Cover Change [51]

Whether trees fall to chain saws or go up in smoke, deforestation is a major climate change driver. But on-the-ground reporting on forest loss is often challenging. Global Forest Watch provides worldwide land cover change data and tools that can help journalists contextualize deforestation events. Mongabay editor Morgan Erickson-Davis explains the power of this free online platform and shares her favorite features.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [18]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [52]
Biodiversity [19]
Climate Change [3]
Environmental Health [4]
Environmental Studies [53]
Forests [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Natural Resources [9]
Science [20]
Technology [41]
Wildlife [42]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [11]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Harnessing the Power of Global Forest Watch for Data-Driven Reporting on Land Cover Change [51]
Cross-Border Project Exposes Extent of PFAS Contamination in Europe [54]

A dozen European news partners collaborated last year to gather a massive set of water, soil and organism samples that pointed to more than 17,000 PFAS-contaminated sites in the region, many known to authorities but kept from the public. The award-winning project was led by Le Monde’s Stéphane Horel, who spoke with SEJournal for the latest Inside Story Q&A.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [26]
Environmental Studies [53]
Health [31]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [33]
Region:
International [11]
Europe [23]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Cross-Border Project Exposes Extent of PFAS Contamination in Europe [54]
Climate Crisis Makes for Real Fashion Emergency [55]

Fast fashion’s lack of sustainability has long been the subject of news media coverage. But now the realities of climate change mean that fashion reporting must be reimagined to include the lived environmental and human rights realities of workers making what we wear, writes contributor Yessenia Funes in the new Voices of Environmental Justice column. Ideas and resources for getting past simplistic fashion industry narratives.

SEJ Publication Types:
Voices of Environmental Justice [56]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [39]
Agriculture [52]
Climate Change [3]
Consumer [27]
Economy & Business [28]
Environmental Justice [5]
Health [31]
Journalism & Media [8]
People & Population [10]
Policy [32]
Waste [34]
Region:
National (U.S.) [16]
International [11]
Asia [36]
Visibility:
Public [13]
- Read more about Climate Crisis Makes for Real Fashion Emergency [55]

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