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Deep in the Heart of Complexity … Or, the View From Texas [1]

As the Society of Environmental Journalists prepares for its annual conference in Houston this March, the SEJournal asked Texas-based reporter Greg Harman to explore the Lone Star State's most critical stories for 2022. Here, in this special Texas-focused TipSheet, are leads, resources, encouragements and challenges.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Chemicals [5]
Climate Change [6]
Disasters [7]
Economy & Business [8]
Energy & Fuel [9]
Environmental Justice [10]
Environmental Politics [11]
Government [12]
Health [13]
Infrastructure [14]
Journalism & Media [15]
People & Population [16]
Planning & Growth [17]
Policy [18]
Pollution [19]
Wildlife [20]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [21]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [22]
Visibility: 
Public [23]

Biden Administration To Struggle With Environmental Justice in 2022 [24]

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 [25]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [3]
Air [4]
Climate Change [6]
Diversity [26]
Environmental Justice [10]
Environmental Politics [11]
Government [12]
Health [13]
Infrastructure [14]
Journalism & Media [15]
Laws & Regulations [27]
People & Population [16]
Planning & Growth [17]
Policy [18]
Pollution [19]
Waste [28]
Water & Oceans [29]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [21]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [30]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [31]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [32]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [33]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [34]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [22]
Visibility: 
Public [23]

"EPA Moves To Erase Trump-Era WOTUS Rule" [35]

"The Biden administration today [Thursday] moved to formally scrap President Trump’s signature Clean Water Act rule off the books."

Agriculture [36]
Environmental Politics [11]
Laws & Regulations [27]
Natural Resources [37]
Planning & Growth [17]
Pollution [19]
Water & Oceans [29]
Public [23]
National (U.S.) [21]
Source: E&E News [38], 11/19/2021

Eating (and Reporting) My Way Through the Foods of the Rainforest [39]

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 [40]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [3]
Agriculture [36]
Biodiversity [41]
Climate Change [6]
Economy & Business [8]
Environmental Justice [10]
Environmental Politics [11]
Food [42]
Forests [43]
Journalism & Media [15]
Natural Resources [37]
People & Population [16]
Planning & Growth [17]
Region: 
International [44]
South America [45]
Visibility: 
Public [23]

U.N. Summit Lays the Table for Environmental Reporting on Food Systems [46]

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 [47]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [3]
Agriculture [36]
Biodiversity [41]
Chemicals [5]
Climate Change [6]
Consumer [48]
Disasters [7]
Economy & Business [8]
Energy & Fuel [9]
Environmental Health [49]
Environmental Justice [10]
Environmental Politics [11]
Food [42]
Government [12]
Health [13]
Journalism & Media [15]
Laws & Regulations [27]
Natural Resources [37]
People & Population [16]
Planning & Growth [17]
Policy [18]
Pollution [19]
Science [50]
Technology [51]
Waste [28]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [21]
California [52]
Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD) [31]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [22]
International [44]
Canada [53]
Africa [54]
Europe [55]
Middle East [56]
South America [45]
Visibility: 
Public [23]

"This U.S. City Just Voted To Decarbonize Every Single Building" [57]

"Late Wednesday night, the city of Ithaca, N.Y., voted to electrify and decarbonize its buildings. It’s the first such initiative of its kind in the country."

Climate Change [6]
Energy & Fuel [9]
Environmental Politics [11]
Infrastructure [14]
Laws & Regulations [27]
Planning & Growth [17]
Public [23]
National (U.S.) [21]
Northeast (CT MA ME NH NJ NY RI VT) [33]
Source: Washington Post [58], 11/04/2021

Laws Offer Little Protection to Expected 200 Million Climate Refugees [59]

"Negotiators at COP26 are unlikely to deal with the challenges posed by climate migration, a failure that some experts say shows “a lack of political will.”"

Climate Change [6]
Disasters [7]
Food [42]
Government [12]
People & Population [16]
Planning & Growth [17]
Public [23]
International [44]
Source: Inside Climate News [60], 11/03/2021
October 21, 2021

How White Conservationists Are Changing Life in a Black Farming Town [61]

Pembroke Township, south of Chicago, is a case study in how predominantly white environmental groups can — willfully or not — wind up marginalizing communities of color by prioritizing conservation goals over the wishes of residents. Join ProPublica and Grist for a virtual discussion on race, power and land stewardship. 7:00 p.m. ET.

Other Events [62]
Visibility: 
Public [23]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [3]
Agriculture [36]
Diversity [26]
Natural Resources [37]
Planning & Growth [17]
Region: 
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [30]
October 21, 2021

How To Cover Agroecology [63]

Mongabay is hosting a webinar on ways to cover agroecology — an agricultural practice and climate solution drawing upon traditional and Indigenous knowledge, and which Mongabay is seeking pitches for — from interesting trends to compelling story angles and more with a panel of three experts. 6:00 p.m. ET.

Other Events [62]
Visibility: 
Public [23]
Topics on the Beat: 
Agriculture [36]
Biodiversity [41]
Diversity [26]
Journalism & Media [15]
Planning & Growth [17]

How ‘The Swamp Peddlers’ Scammed Their Way to Florida’s Eco-Destruction [64]

How did Florida go from an uncrowded home of pine forests, wetlands and ranches to today’s sprawling subdivisions spawning environmental disaster? A new volume gains praise from BookShelf reviewer Nano Riley for its well-researched look at the unscrupulous developers who in a matter of decades carved the state’s ecosystems into lots for sale, trading its pristine beauty for an easy buck.

SEJ Publication Types: 
BookShelf [65]
Topics on the Beat: 
Economy & Business [8]
Environmental Politics [11]
People & Population [16]
Planning & Growth [17]
Water & Oceans [29]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [21]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [34]
Visibility: 
Public [23]

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/deep-heart-complexity-or-view-texas [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [14] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [18] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [21] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [22] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [23] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [24] https://www.sej.org/publications/backgrounders/biden-administration-struggle-environmental-justice-2022 [25] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/backgrounders [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/diversity [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [29] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [30] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-lakes [31] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/great-plains [32] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [33] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northeast [34] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [35] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-moves-erase-trump-era-wotus-rule [36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [38] https://www.eenews.net/articles/epa-moves-to-erase-trump-era-wotus-rule/ [39] https://www.sej.org/publications/fej-storylog/eating-and-reporting-my-way-through-foods-rainforest [40] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/fej-storylog [41] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [42] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/food [43] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [44] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [45] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/south-america [46] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/un-summit-lays-table-environmental-reporting-food-systems [47] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [49] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [50] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [52] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [53] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/canada [54] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/africa [55] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/europe [56] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/middle-east [57] https://www.sej.org/headlines/us-city-just-voted-decarbonize-every-single-building [58] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/11/03/ithaca-new-york-decarbonize-electrify/ [59] https://www.sej.org/headlines/laws-offer-little-protection-expected-200-million-climate-refugees [60] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02112021/climate-refugees-international-law-cop26/ [61] https://www.sej.org/calendar/how-white-conservationists-are-changing-life-black-farming-town [62] https://www.sej.org/category/event-type/other-events [63] https://www.sej.org/calendar/how-cover-agroecology [64] https://www.sej.org/publications/bookshelf/how-swamp-peddlers-scammed-their-way-florida-s-eco-destruction [65] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/bookshelf [66] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns?page=24 [67] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns?page=21 [68] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns?page=22 [69] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns?page=23 [70] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns?page=26 [71] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns?page=27 [72] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns?page=28 [73] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns?page=29 [74] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns?page=75