Publication Items

Climate Data Site Spiked, Resurrected by Ex-NOAA Employees [1]

An effort by the Trump administration to tank a highly useful data source on climate change trends has met impressive resistance — in the form of a group of fired NOAA staffers who have rebuilt the climate.gov website stripped by the federal government. And as the latest Toolbox notes, it’s a great resource. Reacquaint yourself with it.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Politics [5]
Environmental Studies [6]
Government [7]
Science [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Climate Data Site Spiked, Resurrected by Ex-NOAA Employees [1]
A Super (Probably ‘Duper’) El Niño Is Coming. Watch Out! [12]

The news has been full of warnings about a larger-than-normal El Niño, the periodic weather pattern that portends drastic fluctuations in everything from temperatures and precipitation to ocean currents and hurricanes. The latest Issue Backgrounder takes a step back to help explain exactly how this phenomenon works and what its impacts may be, while offering a parting thought on smart coverage.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Agriculture [14]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Studies [6]
Fish & Fisheries [15]
Food [16]
Journalism & Media [17]
Science [8]
Water & Oceans [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about A Super (Probably ‘Duper’) El Niño Is Coming. Watch Out! [12]
How Attribution Science Can Help Reporters on the Heat Beat [19]

With 2026 shaping up to be an exceptional El Niño year, expect lots of record-breaking heat waves and other extreme weather. But climate change will also contribute. Explaining the role of both is essential to complete coverage. Journalist Ethan Brown shares tips and resources for using climate attribution science as a powerful reporting tool. Plus, five questions to ask while covering the next extreme climate event.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [21]
Environmental Politics [5]
Environmental Studies [6]
Journalism & Media [17]
Policy [22]
Science [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about How Attribution Science Can Help Reporters on the Heat Beat [19]
Graphic Content — Journalistic Lessons From Crossing Genres [23]

Today’s teens are growing up in a world of conspicuous climate change, often directly affected by its consequences. Despite their youth, some are at the forefront of the fight against this threat. Freelance journalist and author Meera Subramanian — co-creator of a new nonfiction graphic novel about young climate campaigners — on teens as sources, activism as a topic and the pleasures of collaboration. See a sample of the book [24].

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Biodiversity [25]
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [21]
Diversity [26]
Environmental Health [27]
Environmental Justice [28]
Environmental Politics [5]
Environmental Studies [6]
Health [29]
Journalism & Media [17]
Pollution [30]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [31]
Science [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [32]
International [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Graphic Content — Journalistic Lessons From Crossing Genres [23]
Scouring the Skies for Methane Data [33]

Emissions of the global warming gas methane are widely tracked through satellite sensors, despite some unexpected bumps in the data-gathering effort. But a big challenge is how to interpret and use the resulting insights in your coverage. The latest Reporter’s Toolbox points out several important methane datasets and offers useful insights into how to turn them into stories.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Health [27]
Environmental Studies [6]
Journalism & Media [17]
Science [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Scouring the Skies for Methane Data [33]
#SEJ2026 Live — Coverage of Conference Tours [34]

SEJournal is providing full coverage of all eight of the day-long tours from the annual Society of Environmental Journalists’ conference, April 15-18, in Chicago. In Part 2, contributors Meg Duff [35], Nathaniel Eisen [36], Nhung Nguyen [37] and Marlowe Starling [38] provide detailed reports from tours focused on the transitioning steel industry, microgrids, climate-friendly crop practices and evolving Midwestern agricultural systems.

Also check out the first round of tour coverage and read all the great work [34] from our team of early-career freelance journalists, part of SEJournal’s live #SEJ2026 Live conference reporting.

SEJ Publication Types:
SEJ News [39]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Agriculture [14]
Air [40]
Biodiversity [25]
Chemicals [41]
Climate Change [4]
Consumer [42]
Economy & Business [43]
Energy & Fuel [44]
Environmental Health [27]
Environmental Justice [28]
Environmental Politics [5]
Environmental Studies [6]
Food [16]
Forests [45]
Government [7]
Health [29]
Infrastructure [46]
Journalism & Media [17]
Laws & Regulations [47]
Natural Resources [48]
People & Population [49]
Planning & Growth [50]
Policy [22]
Pollution [30]
Science [8]
Technology [51]
Transportation [52]
Waste [53]
Water & Oceans [18]
Wildlife [54]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [55]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about #SEJ2026 Live — Coverage of Conference Tours [34]
Why I Write About Extinction [56]

Reporting on species who are gone forever can be disheartening, but don’t let that stop you. After more than two decades on the extinction beat, John R. Platt has learned this work can also be deeply rewarding. He explains why he’s stuck with it and why other journalists should consider joining him in telling the stories of vanishing animals and plants.

SEJ Publication Types:
Features [20]
Topics on the Beat:
Activism [3]
Biodiversity [25]
Chemicals [41]
Climate Change [4]
Environmental Studies [6]
Journalism & Media [17]
Pollution [30]
Religion, Faith and Spirituality [31]
Science [8]
Wildlife [54]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
International [10]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Why I Write About Extinction [56]
Fire Sleuths Can Spark Story Ideas With Wildland Urban Interface Data Maps [57]

Communities surrounded by forest can be a beautiful place to live … or a wildfire trap. Environmental journalists can readily map and identify these so-called wildland urban interfaces through a federal government resource, writes the latest Reporter’s Toolbox. More on this data mapping tool and how to use it to track your area’s risk, explore historical trends and layer other data.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Disasters [21]
Environmental Studies [6]
Forests [45]
Government [7]
Journalism & Media [17]
People & Population [49]
Planning & Growth [50]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Alaska and Hawaii [58]
California [59]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Fire Sleuths Can Spark Story Ideas With Wildland Urban Interface Data Maps [57]
EPA Enforcement Falls to Record Low Under Trump 2.0 [60]

The enforcement of environmental laws suffered a dramatic collapse during the Trump administration’s first year, several studies have found. Even the most serious violations, typically referred to the Department of Justice, are left unpursued because of DOJ staffing declines. The latest Backgrounder has the details, a look at the administration’s rationale for the decline and the implications for the environment and public health.

SEJ Publication Types:
Backgrounders [13]
Topics on the Beat:
Air [40]
Chemicals [41]
Climate Change [4]
Economy & Business [43]
Environmental Health [27]
Environmental Politics [5]
Environmental Studies [6]
Government [7]
Health [29]
Journalism & Media [17]
Laws & Regulations [47]
Policy [22]
Pollution [30]
Waste [53]
Water & Oceans [18]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about EPA Enforcement Falls to Record Low Under Trump 2.0 [60]
Trump Tries (and Fails) To Disappear Climate Disaster Data [61]

Even though the United States suffers multiple billion-dollar climate change-related catastrophes, the federal government has ceased sharing the data publicly. And it’s far from the only example of environmental data being blacked out, notes the latest Reporter’s Toolbox. But at least in some cases, civil society organizations have rescued the information and put it back online. See what’s still available.

SEJ Publication Types:
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat:
Climate Change [4]
Disasters [21]
Environmental Politics [5]
Environmental Studies [6]
Government [7]
Science [8]
Region:
National (U.S.) [9]
Visibility:
Public [11]
- Read more about Trump Tries (and Fails) To Disappear Climate Disaster Data [61]

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