Publication Items

Gathering Offers Sobering Look Ahead at 2024, But With Glimmers of Hope [1]

Top environmental journalists and others at the Society of Environmental Journalists annual “Journalists’ Guide to Environment and Energy” program foresee some challenging realities to cover in 2024, most notably with the ongoing impacts of climate change. Bright signs emerged as well. Read our take, watch the event video [2] and visit our full “2024 Journalists’ Guide to Environment + Energy [3]” special report.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [4]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [5]
Biodiversity [6]
Chemicals [7]
Climate Change [8]
Disasters [9]
Environmental Health [10]
Environmental Justice [11]
Environmental Politics [12]
Fish & Fisheries [13]
Forests [14]
Health [15]
Journalism & Media [16]
Natural Resources [17]
People & Population [18]
Policy [19]
Pollution [20]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Alaska and Hawaii [23]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [24]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [25]
International [26]
South America [27]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Gathering Offers Sobering Look Ahead at 2024, But With Glimmers of Hope [1]
Floods, Fires, Dysfunction — Another Year Ahead of Faltering Steps on Environment, Energy [29]

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 [29] and our full “2024 Journalists’ Guide to Environment & Energy [3]” special report.

SEJ Publication Types:
Special Reports [30]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [5]
Biodiversity [6]
Chemicals [7]
Climate Change [8]
Disasters [9]
Economy & Business [31]
Energy & Fuel [32]
Environmental Health [10]
Environmental Justice [11]
Environmental Politics [12]
Forests [14]
Government [33]
Health [15]
Infrastructure [34]
Laws & Regulations [35]
Natural Resources [17]
Policy [19]
Pollution [20]
Transportation [36]
Waste [37]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
International [26]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Floods, Fires, Dysfunction — Another Year Ahead of Faltering Steps on Environment, Energy [29]
Why Environmental Reporters Need To ‘Get’ the Budget Process [38]

When Congress debates funding — or cutting — government programs that deal with environmental and energy issues, journalists on those beats should pay attention. A special Backgrounder, part of our 2024 Journalists’ Guide to Environment and Energy, walks you through the (not so boring) budget process — rules, timelines, dealmaking — to help find the angles on what could be a major story of the coming year. Plus, a primer on budget primers.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [39]
Topics on the Beat:
Environmental Politics [12]
Government [33]
Laws & Regulations [35]
Policy [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Why Environmental Reporters Need To ‘Get’ the Budget Process [38]
Covering Food Systems — The Next Climate Action Battleground [40]

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 [41]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [42]
Climate Change [8]
Consumer [43]
Economy & Business [31]
Energy & Fuel [32]
Food [44]
Journalism & Media [16]
People & Population [18]
Policy [19]
Pollution [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
International [26]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Covering Food Systems — The Next Climate Action Battleground [40]
Reporting on Environmental Solutions and Equity — at a Watershed Scale [45]

Reporting on interconnected ecosystems lends itself to better environmental stories, and so tracing how water moves across landscapes, communities, industries and regulatory schemes can help the public connect the dots. That’s how Annie Ropeik, who helps run the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, sees the watershed beat. She shares expert views and offers insights for environment journalists to use in their reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [46]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [47]
Agriculture [42]
Climate Change [8]
Diversity [48]
Economy & Business [31]
Environmental Health [10]
Environmental Justice [11]
Environmental Politics [12]
Environmental Studies [49]
Government [33]
Health [15]
Infrastructure [34]
Journalism & Media [16]
Laws & Regulations [35]
Natural Resources [17]
Planning & Growth [50]
Policy [19]
Pollution [20]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [51]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [52]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [53]
Northwest (OR WA) [54]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [24]
International [26]
Canada [55]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Reporting on Environmental Solutions and Equity — at a Watershed Scale [45]
SEJ Welcomes New Board Members, Announces 2024 Journalists’ Guide Event in D.C. [56]

Society of Environmental Journalists president Luke Runyon (pictured, left) writes to SEJ members with details on this year’s board elections, a returning flagship in-person event and an update on our executive director search.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ Presidents Report [57]
Topics on the Beat:
Journalism & Media [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
International [26]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about SEJ Welcomes New Board Members, Announces 2024 Journalists’ Guide Event in D.C. [56]
Exposed for Pig Pollution, Nebraska Governor Slimes the Reporter [58]

When the governor of Nebraska personally attacked an investigative reporter who’d covered environmental problems in his family business, it drew a national spotlight and a quick response from free press supporters, including the Society of Environmental Journalists. WatchDog Opinion looks at what happened and observes that politicians’ name-calling of journalists has an unfortunate history — but must never be allowed to stop the truthtelling.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [59]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [42]
Environmental Politics [12]
Government [33]
Journalism & Media [16]
Policy [19]
Pollution [20]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [52]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Exposed for Pig Pollution, Nebraska Governor Slimes the Reporter [58]
New Climate Vulnerability Index Made for Local, Regional Stories [60]

For environmental journalists looking to get granular on their coverage of climate risk, Reporter’s Toolbox recommends a new collaborative effort that integrates dozens of separate datasets to provide insights down to the census-tract level. Because it can also be cross-indexed by subjects like health and socioeconomics, it’s particularly useful for environmental justice reporting. Toolbox walks you through the new Climate Vulnerability Index.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [61]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [8]
Environmental Justice [11]
Health [15]
Infrastructure [34]
Journalism & Media [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about New Climate Vulnerability Index Made for Local, Regional Stories [60]
Author Brings Far-Reaching Insight to ‘The Three Ages of Water’ [62]

Leading water expert Peter Gleick’s new book on water’s past, present and future is an ambitious volume that offers a panoramic look at this essential resource — and hope for living in harmony with it in the future. BookShelf Editor Tom Henry calls “The Three Ages of Water” a rare book of breadth and depth, part history and part sustainable remedy. Read his review.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [63]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [8]
Environmental Health [10]
Environmental Justice [11]
Food [44]
Health [15]
Natural Resources [17]
People & Population [18]
Planning & Growth [50]
Policy [19]
Science [64]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [51]
International [26]
Africa [65]
Asia [66]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Author Brings Far-Reaching Insight to ‘The Three Ages of Water’ [62]
Do Home Buyers Have a Right to Flood Risk Disclosure? [67]

In the second of a two-parter for our 2024 Journalists’ Guide to Environment + Energy [3], the latest TipSheet considers how local environmental journalists can make news out of the state-by-state patchwork of flood risk disclosure laws amid rising climate extremes. A dozen-and-a-half story ideas and reporting resources on the topic. Plus, see part one [68] on climate and insurance.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [69]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [8]
Consumer [43]
Disasters [9]
Government [33]
Infrastructure [34]
Journalism & Media [16]
Laws & Regulations [35]
Planning & Growth [50]
Policy [19]
Water & Oceans [21]
Region:
National (U.S.) [22]
Visibility:
Public [28]
- Read more about Do Home Buyers Have a Right to Flood Risk Disclosure? [67]

Pages