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When Extreme Weather Amplifies Hazardous Waste Threats [1]

Toxic waste is bad enough when it’s in one spot. But it can be even more dangerous when it is made mobile by climate-induced natural disasters. The latest TipSheet looks at just a few of the problems that can arise — or have already arisen. Plus, story ideas and reporting resources to cover this issue in your locale.

SEJ Publication Types: 
TipSheet [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Air [3]
Chemicals [4]
Climate Change [5]
Disasters [6]
Environmental Health [7]
Health [8]
Journalism & Media [9]
People & Population [10]
Pollution [11]
Waste [12]
Water & Oceans [13]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [14]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [16]
Visibility: 
Public [17]

Grant Prompts Improved Coverage of Indigenous Perspectives at Bears Ears [18]

Inspired by a discussion at a Society of Environmental Journalists conference, freelancer Rico Moore (pictured, left) applied for a Fund for Environmental Journalism grant to report on Bears Ears National Monument. Then, armed with advice for better covering Indigenous communities and Native American tribes, Moore found a new way to write about the cultural and environmental richness of those lands. His experience, in the new FEJ StoryLog.

SEJ Publication Types: 
FEJ StoryLog [19]
Topics on the Beat: 
Activism [20]
Diversity [21]
Environmental Justice [22]
Environmental Politics [23]
Journalism & Media [9]
Natural Resources [24]
People & Population [10]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [14]
Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY) [25]
Visibility: 
Public [17]

"On The Hunt For Yellowstone’s Bison" [26]

"Deer and elk were no problem for Kashius Gleason. The 19-year-old member of the Yakama Nation had hunted plenty of them around his reservation in the state of Washington. Yet standing in freezing temperatures at the doorstep of Yellowstone at daybreak one February morning, he was nervous as a herd of bison trekked out of the park."

Biodiversity [27]
Environmental Justice [22]
Natural Resources [24]
People & Population [10]
Wildlife [28]
Public [17]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: Washington Post [29], 05/15/2023

"Cyclone Mocha: Deadly Storm Hits Myanmar And Bangladesh Coasts" [30]

"A powerful cyclone has hit the coastlines of Bangladesh and Myanmar after intensifying into the equivalent of a category-five storm. Cyclone Mocha did not make landfall at the sprawling refugee camp in Cox's Bazar as earlier feared, but still tore apart hundreds of makeshift shelters."

Climate Change [5]
Disasters [6]
People & Population [10]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [17]
Asia [31]
Source: BBC News [32], 05/15/2023

Number Of Internally Displaced People Hits Record Amid War, Climate Change [33]

"The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) reached a record 71.1 million worldwide last year due to conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and climate calamities like the monsoon floods in Pakistan, according to data published on Thursday."

Climate Change [5]
Disasters [6]
Environmental Justice [22]
People & Population [10]
Public [17]
International [34]
Source: Reuters [35], 05/11/2023

Will Billions To Fix Texas Water Systems Reach These Forgotten Colonias? [36]

"An estimated 500,000 people live in thousands of colonias along the Texas-Mexico border. Largely built between the 1950s and 1980s, these communities have been promised water — but it has never come."

"Maria Martínez constantly calculates how much water is left in the 2,000-gallon tank that sits outside her home near El Paso.

When there’s less than 600 gallons, it’s time to place an order. A few loads of laundry and dirty dishes will use every last drop.

Consumer [37]
Environmental Health [7]
Environmental Justice [22]
Environmental Politics [23]
People & Population [10]
Planning & Growth [38]
Pollution [11]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [17]
Southwest (AZ NM OK TX) [16]
Source: Texas Tribune [39], 05/09/2023

"Oil Boom Transforms Guyana, Prompting A Scramble For Spoils" [40]

"ANN’S GROVE, Guyana — Villagers in this tiny coastal community lined up on the soggy grass, leaned into the microphone and shared their grievances as someone in the crowd yelled, “Speak the truth!”"

Economy & Business [41]
Energy & Fuel [42]
Environmental Politics [23]
Laws & Regulations [43]
People & Population [10]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [17]
South America [44]
Source: AP [45], 05/08/2023

Almost 30,000 People Displaced As Alberta Continues Battling Wildfires [46]

"A change in weather conditions has helped firefighters fight the wildfires that have forced thousands of Albertans to flee their homes this past week, officials from the Alberta Emergency Management Agency and Alberta Wildfire said Sunday."

Climate Change [5]
Disasters [6]
Forests [47]
Natural Resources [24]
People & Population [10]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [17]
Canada [48]
Source: CBC News [49], 05/08/2023

Black Alabamians Endured Poor Sewage For Decades. Now They May See Justice. [50]

"Officials in Alabama discriminated against Black residents in a rural county by denying them access to adequate sanitation systems, imposing burdensome fines and liens and ignoring the serious health risks plaguing the community, according to a landmark environmental justice agreement announced Thursday by the Biden administration."

Environmental Health [7]
Environmental Justice [22]
Environmental Politics [23]
Infrastructure [51]
Laws & Regulations [43]
People & Population [10]
Pollution [11]
Waste [12]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [17]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [15]
Source: Washington Post [52], 05/05/2023

"Biden Administration Proposes Water Quality Standard For Tribes" [53]

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday proposed baseline water quality standards for tribal waters, which the agency said would protect more than 500,000 people who live on reservations."

Consumer [37]
Environmental Health [7]
Environmental Justice [22]
Laws & Regulations [43]
People & Population [10]
Pollution [11]
Water & Oceans [13]
Public [17]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: The Hill [54], 05/04/2023

Pages

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Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/when-extreme-weather-amplifies-hazardous-waste-threats [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication/tipsheet [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/health [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [12] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/waste [13] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [14] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [15] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [16] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southwest [17] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [18] https://www.sej.org/publications/fej-storylog/grant-prompts-improved-coverage-indigenous-perspectives-bears-ears [19] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/fej-storylog [20] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/activism [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/diversity [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [23] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [24] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [25] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/mountain-west [26] https://www.sej.org/headlines/hunt-yellowstone-s-bison [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/wildlife [29] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2023/yellowstone-bison-hunt/ [30] https://www.sej.org/headlines/cyclone-mocha-deadly-storm-hits-myanmar-and-bangladesh-coasts [31] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/asia [32] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65587321 [33] https://www.sej.org/headlines/number-internally-displaced-people-hits-record-amid-war-climate-change [34] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international [35] https://www.reuters.com/world/number-internally-displaced-people-hits-record-due-war-climate-change-2023-05-11/ [36] https://www.sej.org/headlines/will-billions-fix-texas-water-systems-reach-these-forgotten-colonias [37] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [38] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [39] https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/05/texas-water-infrastructure-colonias/ [40] https://www.sej.org/headlines/oil-boom-transforms-guyana-prompting-scramble-spoils [41] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [42] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [43] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [44] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/south-america [45] https://apnews.com/article/guyana-oil-discovery-money-14c23a72c6d7c13675493ede42ed1000 [46] https://www.sej.org/headlines/almost-30000-people-displaced-alberta-continues-battling-wildfires [47] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/forests [48] https://www.sej.org/category/region/international/canada [49] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-wildfires-environment-weather-extreme-1.6835352 [50] https://www.sej.org/headlines/black-alabamians-endured-poor-sewage-decades-now-they-may-see-justice [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [52] https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/05/04/these-black-alabamians-endured-poor-sewage-decades-now-they-may-see-justice/ [53] https://www.sej.org/headlines/biden-administration-proposes-water-quality-standard-tribes [54] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3985932-biden-administration-proposes-water-quality-standard-for-tribes/ [55] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population?page=149 [56] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population?page=146 [57] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population?page=147 [58] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population?page=148 [59] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population?page=151 [60] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population?page=152 [61] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population?page=153 [62] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population?page=154 [63] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population?page=326