Publication Items

Biden Administration To Struggle With Environmental Justice in 2022 [1]

The history of environmental racism is a long one in the United States, far longer than the efforts to address the problem. But reporting on environmental justice continues to tick upwards, and an analysis in the latest Backgrounder points to promising progress, explaining why for journalists the year ahead may yield important stories, whether about future footholds or new missteps.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Climate Change [5]
Diversity [6]
Environmental Justice [7]
Environmental Politics [8]
Government [9]
Health [10]
Infrastructure [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
People & Population [14]
Planning & Growth [15]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Waste [18]
Water & Oceans [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [20]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [21]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [22]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [23]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [24]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [25]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Biden Administration To Struggle With Environmental Justice in 2022 [1]
Congressional Infrastructure Bill Loaded With Local Stories [28]

The massive infrastructure measure signed into law last week is a potential mother lode of stories for environmental journalists. If that is, they can figure out where the money is going. The latest TipSheet takes an initial look at the $1.2 trillion plan and offers guidance on how to track down reportable local and regional projects.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [30]
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [31]
Economy & Business [32]
Energy & Fuel [33]
Environmental Politics [8]
Government [9]
Infrastructure [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Policy [16]
Transportation [34]
Water & Oceans [19]
Wildlife [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [20]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Congressional Infrastructure Bill Loaded With Local Stories [28]
Science Integrity Is About More Than Getting EPA Interviews [36]

Freedom of access to government scientists is just one narrow facet in a worsening crisis in scientific integrity at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The new WatchDog Opinion argues that whether it’s about self-interested industry lobbying over climate change or the regulation of chemicals, there’s an assault on science itself — and the news media has a role to play.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [37]
Topics on the Beat:
Chemicals [30]
Climate Change [5]
Economy & Business [32]
Environmental Politics [8]
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Policy [16]
Science [38]
Region:
National (U.S.) [20]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Science Integrity Is About More Than Getting EPA Interviews [36]
Hayhoe Makes Case for Healing Over Climate Change [39]

A new volume by renowned climate communicator Katharine Hayhoe argues for a new way of talking about climate change that seeks common ground, greater respect and an effort to show how nearly everyone is affected. BookShelf editor Tom Henry reviews Hayhoe’s “Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World” and its hopeful message.

SEJ Publication Types:
BookShelf [40]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Journalism & Media [12]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [41]
Region:
National (U.S.) [20]
International [42]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Hayhoe Makes Case for Healing Over Climate Change [39]
Eating (and Reporting) My Way Through the Foods of the Rainforest [43]

Conserving crop diversity is a key to maintaining global food security, especially in the face of climate change. To understand those efforts, Portland, Ore.-based freelancer Virginia Gewin traveled to South America, supported by a grant from the Society of Environmental Journalists, to find out how Peruvian chefs and Amazon dwellers hope to save the rainforest by sharing native and wild foods.

SEJ Publication Types:
FEJ StoryLog [44]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [45]
Biodiversity [46]
Climate Change [5]
Economy & Business [32]
Environmental Justice [7]
Environmental Politics [8]
Food [47]
Forests [48]
Journalism & Media [12]
Natural Resources [49]
People & Population [14]
Planning & Growth [15]
Region:
International [42]
South America [50]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Eating (and Reporting) My Way Through the Foods of the Rainforest [43]
U.N. Summit Lays the Table for Environmental Reporting on Food Systems [51]

After an 18-month buildup, a one-day U.N. Food Systems Summit earlier this fall generated hundreds of commitments to end global hunger and a dizzying array of alliances dedicated to the cause. Despite controversies surrounding the summit, this groundbreaking event highlighted opportunities for reporting on food and food systems. Award-winning agriculture journalist Chris Clayton shares his insights.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [52]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [45]
Biodiversity [46]
Chemicals [30]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [53]
Disasters [31]
Economy & Business [32]
Energy & Fuel [33]
Environmental Health [54]
Environmental Justice [7]
Environmental Politics [8]
Food [47]
Government [9]
Health [10]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Natural Resources [49]
People & Population [14]
Planning & Growth [15]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Science [38]
Technology [55]
Waste [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [20]
California [56]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [22]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [26]
International [42]
Canada [57]
Africa [58]
Europe [59]
Middle East [60]
South America [50]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about U.N. Summit Lays the Table for Environmental Reporting on Food Systems [51]
Climate Change at Core of Beat Reporters’ Award-Winning Coverage [61]

Beat reporters Hal Bernton and Mark Kaufman both found the dramatic changes wrought by climate change to be at the center of their coverage — as their work was elevated to prize-winning heights. Bernton, covering climate impacts in northwestern Alaska at a large newspaper, and Kaufman, covering CO2 globally for a digital platform, talk about the lessons of their recent beat coverage with SEJournal’s Inside Story.

SEJ Publication Types:
Inside Story [62]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Energy & Fuel [33]
Environmental Health [54]
Fish & Fisheries [63]
Journalism & Media [12]
Natural Resources [49]
Policy [16]
Water & Oceans [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [20]
Alaska and Hawaii [64]
International [42]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Climate Change at Core of Beat Reporters’ Award-Winning Coverage [61]
Will 2022 See the Start of Formal Negotiations Toward a Global Plastics Treaty? [65]

Plastic waste, already the subject of preliminary international talks, could be increasingly targeted after UN meetings in early 2022. Meanwhile, this ubiquitous product is polluting land, ocean and air in its various forms, as well as through little-understood microplastic particles. The latest TipSheet has the backstory on efforts to forge an international plastics treaty, as well as ideas for how to cover plastic pollution locally.

SEJ Publication Types:
TipSheet [29]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Chemicals [30]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [53]
Economy & Business [32]
Environmental Health [54]
Environmental Politics [8]
Fish & Fisheries [63]
Food [47]
Government [9]
Health [10]
Journalism & Media [12]
Policy [16]
Pollution [17]
Waste [18]
Water & Oceans [19]
Wildlife [35]
Region:
National (U.S.) [20]
International [42]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Will 2022 See the Start of Formal Negotiations Toward a Global Plastics Treaty? [65]
Climate Risk Disclosure Guides Journalists, Not Just Investors [66]

A profound tightening of companies’ environmental risk disclosure requirements may be ahead, thanks to efforts by the Biden administration’s Securities and Exchange Commission. And the new WatchDog Opinion column argues that as fossil fuel firms position themselves as part of an environmentally sound future, journalists must act too — demanding full disclosure of corporate financial risks related to climate.

SEJ Publication Types:
WatchDog [37]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [53]
Economy & Business [32]
Energy & Fuel [33]
Environmental Politics [8]
Government [9]
Journalism & Media [12]
Laws & Regulations [13]
Policy [16]
Region:
National (U.S.) [20]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Climate Risk Disclosure Guides Journalists, Not Just Investors [66]
Mapping Flood Risk — Research Outfit Offers Alternative Dataset [67]

Climate change makes flooding — and flood reporting — increasingly likely, and yet government data on flood risk often falls short. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox offers an alternative, an ambitious, peer-reviewed dataset from a unique nonprofit research outfit that offers free data aggregated to the zip code, county and congressional district levels. More on the dataset and how to use it.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [68]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [31]
Environmental Studies [69]
Infrastructure [11]
Journalism & Media [12]
Water & Oceans [19]
Region:
National (U.S.) [20]
Visibility:
Public [27]
- Read more about Mapping Flood Risk — Research Outfit Offers Alternative Dataset [67]

Pages