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Expert Advice Helps Journalists Navigate Unfamiliar Scientific Seas [1]

Journalists who lack a strong science background can find themselves in deep water when reporting environmental stories. How do you avoid over- or understating research findings? What’s the difference between observational and experimental studies? And what about those pesky percentages? Former Washington Post science reporter Rick Weiss and his SciLine colleagues have some answers.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Features [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Agriculture [3]
Air [4]
Climate Change [5]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Studies [7]
Journalism & Media [8]
Pollution [9]
Science [10]
Wildlife [11]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [12]
International [13]
Visibility: 
Public [14]

Shipping Rule Backfires, Diverting Sulfur Emissions From Air to Ocean [15]

"When large ships use scrubbers to meet international air pollution limits, the treated fuel exhaust gets dumped into the sea along with other contaminants. Researchers say the discharges are packed with metals and organic compounds that threaten marine environments."

Air [4]
Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [14]
International [13]
Source: Inside Climate News [17], 07/18/2023

"Senate Adds Language Blocking Gas Stove Ban To Appropriations Bill" [18]

"Language blocking a ban on gas stoves has been incorporated into a bipartisan Senate appropriations bill, giving it a significant chance to ultimately become law."

Air [4]
Consumer [19]
Environmental Politics [20]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Pollution [9]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: The Hill [22], 07/18/2023

"The Problem with Boating’s High-Fiberglass Diet" [23]

"Fiberglass revolutionized boating, but decades later, discarded and degraded vessels are adding to marine pollution."

Pollution [9]
Water & Oceans [16]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
International [13]
Source: Hakai [24], 07/17/2023

"States Struggle To Plug Oil Wells With Infrastructure Law Cash" [25]

"Across Schuyler Wight’s two West Texas ranches, about 250 abandoned oil and gas wells sit open and unused, creating a link from the dusty surface to smelly chemicals and gases thousands of feet underground."

Climate Change [5]
Energy & Fuel [26]
Pollution [9]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [27]
Source: E&E News [28], 07/17/2023

"Cement Warms The Planet. This Green Version Just Got A Key Nod Of Approval." [29]

"Companies are finding more environmentally friendly ways to make cement, which accounts for about a twelfth of global carbon dioxide emissions, making it worse for the climate than flying. Now they have to convince builders that their climate-friendly cement will hold just as well as the conventional stuff."

Climate Change [5]
Infrastructure [30]
Pollution [9]
Technology [31]
Public [14]
International [13]
Source: Washington Post [32], 07/14/2023

Oil And Gas Responsible For $77 Billion In Annual US Health Damages: Study [33]

"Proposed EPA methane limits may help curtail 7,500 yearly deaths from oil and gas production sites."

Air [4]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Politics [20]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Pollution [9]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: EHN [34], 07/14/2023

EPA Finalizes Rule Furthering 40 Percent Phasedown Of Planet-Warming HFCs [35]

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tuesday took another step toward reducing the use of planet-warming gasses called hydrofluorocarbons, issuing a rule moving toward a 40 percent phasedown of the substances."

Chemicals [36]
Climate Change [5]
Consumer [19]
Infrastructure [30]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Pollution [9]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: The Hill [37], 07/14/2023

Houston To Relocate People Living Near Polluted Union Pacific Rail Yard [38]

"Houston plans to spend millions of dollars to relocate residents from neighborhoods located near a rail yard polluted by a cancer-linked wood preservative that has been blamed for an increase in cancer cases, the city’s mayor announced Thursday."

Chemicals [36]
Environmental Health [6]
Pollution [9]
Public [14]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [27]
Source: AP [39], 07/14/2023

EPA Proposes Tighter Limits on Lead Dust in Homes and Child Care Facilities [40]

"The Biden administration on Wednesday proposed to strengthen requirements for the removal of lead-based paint dust in homes and child care facilities built before 1978, an effort to eliminate exposure to lead that could require millions of property owners to pay for abatement."

Chemicals [36]
Consumer [19]
Environmental Health [6]
Environmental Justice [41]
Infrastructure [30]
Laws & Regulations [21]
Pollution [9]
Public [14]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: NYTimes [42], 07/13/2023

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/features/expert-advice-helps-journalists-navigate-unfamiliar-scientific-seas [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/features [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/science [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [12] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [13] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [14] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [15] https://www.sej.org/headlines/shipping-rule-backfires-diverting-sulfur-emissions-air-ocean [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [17] https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17072023/ship-scrubbers-water-pollution/ [18] https://www.sej.org/headlines/senate-adds-language-blocking-gas-stove-ban-appropriations-bill [19] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [22] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4097519-senate-adds-language-blocking-gas-stove-ban-appropriations-bill/ [23] https://www.sej.org/headlines/problem-boating-s-high-fiberglass-diet [24] https://hakaimagazine.com/features/the-problem-with-boatings-high-fiberglass-diet/ [25] https://www.sej.org/headlines/states-struggle-plug-oil-wells-infrastructure-law-cash [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [27] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [28] https://www.eenews.net/articles/states-struggle-to-plug-oil-wells-with-infrastructure-law-cash/ [29] https://www.sej.org/headlines/cement-warms-planet-green-version-just-got-key-nod-approval [30] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [32] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/07/13/green-concrete-cement-climate-brimstone/ [33] https://www.sej.org/headlines/oil-and-gas-responsible-77-billion-annual-us-health-damages-study [34] https://www.ehn.org/oil-and-gas-pollution-2662262156.html [35] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-finalizes-rule-furthering-40-percent-phasedown-planet-warming-hfcs [36] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [37] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4091677-epa-finalizes-rule-furthering-40-percent-phasedown-of-planet-warming-hydrofluorocarbons/ [38] https://www.sej.org/headlines/houston-relocate-people-living-near-polluted-union-pacific-rail-yard [39] https://apnews.com/article/houston-relocates-residents-polluted-neighborhood-cancer-04adf611697ab3f5d0ef9dd0e9070394 [40] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-proposes-tighter-limits-lead-dust-homes-and-child-care-facilities [41] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [42] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/12/climate/epa-lead-dust-homes.html [43] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=267 [44] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=264 [45] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=265 [46] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=266 [47] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=269 [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=270 [49] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=271 [50] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=272 [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution?page=839