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Join us on October 6 at 4 pm US Eastern Time to watch the first annual Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards, celebrating the best climate reporting of 2020. Far from a typical awards show, this special program will provide a snapshot of the global climate emergency as reported by the journalists receiving the awards.
Hosted by NBC News’ Al Roker and Savannah Sellers, the program will illustrate how powerful storytelling, science-based reporting, and a growing understanding of the unequal impacts of climate change are central features of the best coverage of the climate emergency. Special guests include Vanessa Nakate, the climate justice activist from Uganda, and Professor Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy.
The award-winning print reporters, photojournalists, digital, television and radio journalists, podcasters, and commentators were selected from a field of nearly 600 entrants. These journalists are leading the way with eye-opening, first-hand accounts of a planet in crisis, inspiring stories of survival and resilience, and hard-hitting investigative reports that hold power to account.
We invite you to watch the show live on the CCNow website and join us to participate in a live chat engaging winners, judges, and colleagues in the journalism community on October 6. Sign up for an email reminder, see the finalists, and learn more here.
FROM US
Live on Instagram this morning, September 30, we’ll hold a Climate Talk with Covering Climate Now Journalism Award finalists, Andrew Mambondiyani, joining us from YES! Magazine, and Ali Rae, from Al Jazeera English. The conversation will be hosted by @CoveringClimate and moderated by Savannah Sellers of NBC News. Tune in at 11 am ET / 8 am PT.
Collaborating on CO26 coverage. We’re excited to announce our next joint coverage week, “Code Red,” that will run in tandem with the first week of the crucial COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow. From October 31 to November 6, we invite partners to join us in boosting the climate story’s profile. Additionally, we’re planning newsmaker interviews ahead of the summit, a special climate migration series highlighting climate displacement globally, and regular dispatches from the summit available for partners to publish. Learn more.
ESSENTIAL NEWS
High price, higher stakes. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has identified November’s COP26 summit as an unofficial deadline for Congress to pass the “Build Back Better” spending plan, which is set to contain robust climate spending. If Biden arrives at Glasgow without a credible financial commitment by the federal government to address climate change, the United States’ ability at COP26 to cajole and pressure other countries to act will be weakened. From Politico…
Food shock. Prices for key global crops like sugar, coffee, soy, and corn have soared after much of Brazil’s crops were destroyed this year, contributing to a surge in international food price inflation. Brazil, a top global food supplier, is suffering from dangerous climate impacts, including fires, drought, freezing temperatures, and heavy rains. Climate-driven damage can completely destabilize crop production and upend global commodity markets. From Bloomberg Green…
Bitter taste. The first United Nations food summit was billed as a worldwide meeting of diverse stakeholders to generate equitable and sustainable solutions to hunger. At the event, nations, corporations, and foundations pledged billions of dollars toward that goal. But hundreds of grassroots anti-hunger and food experts boycotted the event, in part because it was viewed as dominated by corporate interests. From Civil Eats…
Wait, what? #MurdochKnew. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has been actively taking steps to protect its operations from the climate emergency since 2006, according to publicly available documents reviewed by Vice. Meanwhile Murdoch-owned media outlets such as Fox News routinely deny that human-caused climate change exists, provide climate science deniers a platform, and attack politicians’ climate policies. From Vice…
Start ’em young. A new podcast called The ABCs of Big Oil investigates the fossil fuel industry’s propaganda machine—beyond advertising and political lobbying into the realm of K-12 school curricula. In the first episode, the hosts uncover why Big Oil wanted to be involved in educating young people as early as the 1950s, and the messaging they used to promote burning fossil fuels, despite increasingly dire warnings from scientists. From Gizmodo…
From ‘me’ to ‘we.’ Communicating about climate change effectively is critical to engaging the public actively on an issue that is worrying the majority of people worldwide, according to a climate psychologist. Journalists should avoid reporting on climate through the lens of excessive optimism about solutions or gloom-and-doom about the future. Effective communication acknowledges that the climate crisis cannot be solved by any one actor alone and requires compassion for painful feelings. From CNBC…
REPUBLICATION RECOMMENDATIONS
The following stories deserve special consideration for republication by CCNow partners:
- Joe Manchin, America’s climate decider-in-chief, is a coal baron – From the Guardian’s & CCNow’s “Climate Crimes” series
- Contamination a ‘Huge Challenge’ For Affordable Drinking Water in California – Capital & Main
- Clean, Affordable California Water a Challenge for Low-Income Communities – Capital & Main
- The Climate Crisis: an essential guide – The Irish Times
For partner outlets: To submit stories for sharing, please use this form. Instructions for republishing and the full list of stories available for republication can be found in our Sharing Library.
ODDS & ENDS
Free climate photography. Climate Visuals and TED Countdown have just released 100 impactful photographs that provide diverse narratives of the global climate crisis, as well as climate solutions. The verified images are available for free to journalists and the editorial media. View the images.
Climate 101. The Oxford School of Climate Change is accepting applications for a nine-week online ‘Climate 101’ course focusing on the core science, policy, and politics of climate change. The weekly program runs Oct. 12 to Dec. 7 2021 and is open to all. Learn more.
Jobs. The Washington Post is looking for a climate reporter. WBUR is seeking an assistant managing editor of climate and environment. Time is recruiting a senior editor on health, science, and climate.
Thanks for reading, and see you next time!
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