This week, Covering Climate Now’s latest newsmaker interview featured global music star Jon Batiste discussing the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the monster storm that devastated his hometown of New Orleans, and the new song Batiste has released imploring people to take climate action.
All CCNow partners are invited to republish the story by CCNow’s executive director, Mark Hertsgaard, an excerpt of which follows. Partners can also republish NBC News’ Today Show interview with Al Roker. Partners that are clients of Agence France-Presse also have the option of publishing AFP’s story. Or partners can produce their own stories, drawing on a recording of the interview. Please email editors@coveringclimatenow.org for the link to all the assets.
Excerpt of Hertsgaard’s Guardian piece:
Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged his hometown of New Orleans, Jon Batiste has released a new song imploring people to take action against climate change “by raising your voice, and insisting, and voting the right people into office.”
“As an artist, you have to make a statement,” the global star said in an interview on Tuesday with the international media collaboration Covering Climate Now. “You got to bring people together. People power is the way that you can change things in the world.”
“It’s a warning, set to a dance beat,” Batiste said about the song, “Petrichor,” which appears on his new album “Big Money.” The Oscar and multiple-Grammy Award winning composer and his band performed “Petrichor” live during Tuesday’s interview; that performance can be seen here.
The word “petrichor” refers to “the scent of the earth after the rain,” Batiste said, “when there’s been warm, dry soil for a long time, and then things come back into balance. And right now, we’re out of balance …the natural life support systems of the planet are under threat.”
With a refrain that repeatedly declares “they burning the planet down,” “Petrichor” does not sugarcoat the dangers of climate change, yet Batiste remains optimistic. “When you make a song, you want to inspire people, but you also want to let them know what they can do,” he said. “And the things that we can do [are] really very simple. It’s clean energy technology, right now, that we can switch to. We can make the world be powered by things that don’t destroy the planet.”
“There’s a blanket of pollution around the Earth,” Batiste added, referring to the planet-warming gases released by burning fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal and by cutting down forests. “The summers feel hot, everything is hot, the weather patterns are shifting. Nobody wants that. And we know what the solution is. There’s an overwhelming majority of people that believe in clean energy … and switching to these new technologies.”
The Guardian and other Covering Climate Now partners earlier this year launched the 89 Percent Project, reporting that 80 to 89% of the world’s people want their governments to take stronger climate action, according to numerous scientific studies. Batiste confirmed that he is part of that 89% climate majority — as is his mother, Katherine Batiste, who did environmental work for the US government in Louisiana for most of Jon’s childhood and sat next to him throughout the Covering Climate Now interview.
“We believe in science,” Katherine Batiste said.
“There you go,” Jon said, smiling. “You heard it.”
Read the rest of Hertsgaard’s story in The Guardian.
From Us
Murdering the messengers — again. For the second time in two weeks, CCNow is compelled to condemn the Israeli military’s deadly, apparently deliberate attacks on journalists in Gaza. The UN human rights office spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, said in a statement: “The killing of journalists in Gaza should shock the world — not into stunned silence but into action, demanding accountability and justice.”
The journalists who lost their lives are Hussam al-Masri and Moaz Abu Taha of Reuters, Mohammad Salama of Al Jazeera, and freelancers Mariam Abu Dagga and Ahmed Abu Aziz. They were killed in a “double-tap” attack, as Israel bombed the Nasser hospital twice, delaying the second strike for 17 minutes and killing the journalists and others who rushed to the scene. Such shameful attacks seek to evade accountability by keeping the public in the dark. CCNow stands in solidarity with our fellow journalists everywhere and implores others to do the same.
Prep your fall coverage. Don’t wait until extreme weather strikes to learn how climate change is fueling changes to our weather systems. Join CCNow and Climate Central on Wednesday, September 3, at 12pm US Eastern Time, for a webinar highlighting emerging climate attribution research as the peak of Atlantic hurricane activity approaches. RSVP.
89 Percent Project. Phase 2 of the project will explore the people behind the numbers: Who are they, why do they care, are they surprised to learn they’re the overwhelming majority? At this Talking Shop on Thursday, September 4, at 12pm US Eastern Time, swap ideas with journalists from The Guardian, The Asahi Shimbun, and Agência Pública about ways to gather candid, revealing answers from your audiences and the general public to present a vivid, factually grounded portrait of the global climate majority in all its diversity. RSVP.
CCNow Academy. Climate change is the defining story of our time, and journalists everywhere need the tools to cover with depth, accuracy, and impact. That’s why CCNow is offering worldwide journalists a free, live, online training program designed to support them in telling stronger climate stories across beats and borders. Apply by September 8.
Quote of the Week
“[The Trump] administration’s decision to ignore and disregard the facts pertaining to climate science in disasters shows a blatant disregard for the safety and security of our Nation’s people….”
– A letter to Congress signed by about 180 FEMA employees argues that current agency leadership has hindered the ability to effectively manage emergencies. The Trump administration placed dozens of signatories on administrative leave the next day.
Noteworthy Stories
Costly floods. Since June, heavy monsoon rains causing flooding and landslides have killed more than 800 people in Pakistan. The extreme weather has farmers confronting rising debts from lost crops. Farming is now like “gambling with nature,” said one farmer who has migrated multiple times over the past few years. By Z Abbas and Faras Ghani for Al Jazeera…
Land defenders. The Miccosukee, an Indigenous tribe that “found refuge from white persecution deep in the [Florida] Everglades swamps centuries ago,” joined environmental groups in the lawsuit that shut down Alligator Alcatraz, the immigration detention center built on their ancestral lands. By Abel Fernandez for El País…
Burp capture. Methane emissions are magnitudes more potent than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and cows release some 231 billion pounds of methane annually. Decreasing methane emissions “could have a much more significant climate impact, much faster than with CO2.” A Danish startup, Ambient Carbon, is testing a system for capturing and breaking down methane at a dairy barn. By Katie Brigham for HeatMap…
Dairyland lawsuit. Following victories in legal cases in Hawai‘i and Montana, 15 Wisconsin youths are suing their state’s Public Service Commission claiming laws that stymie the green transition violate the state’s constitution. By Dana Drugmand for Inside Climate News…
Climate connections. World Weather Attribution researcher and environmental statistician Clair Barnes explains how attribution science, which helps scientists understand climate change’s impact on a particular extreme weather event, works. By Kristine Sabillo for Mongabay…
EV negativity. A new study published by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit reveals “widespread misinformation” on electric vehicles in UK newspapers “with far more of the coverage seeking to portray battery cars in a negative than a positive light.” By Michael Holder for BusinessGreen…
Dispatch #12 from the Climate Blueprint for Media Transformation: Workflow and Capacity
For several months, we’ve been periodically sharing standout insights from the Climate Blueprint for Media Transformation, a collaboration between CCNow and the Solutions Journalism Network.
Research suggests meteorologists are some of the most trusted voices on climate change. Sussy Ruiz, editor-in-chief of The Weather Channel en Español, takes that role seriously. And she also takes seriously her role as a steward of the newsroom, one who works to advance solid climate journalism with thoughtfulness and care.
That means understanding viewer needs along with staff needs. To do that, she suggests shifting newsrooms’ approach “from reactive to proactive.” That requires intentional planning, careful budgeting, active support and creating a culture in which diverse ideas can be shared and all resources utilized. Achieving all that is no small task, but she’s also learned plenty about the concrete steps outlets can take to get there.
“Make sure your newsroom or freelancer group is a safe space for brainstorming, ideation, experimentation and learning,” Ruiz suggests. “Story ideas are often iterative, and get stronger with more input and scrutiny.” Read more.
Resources
Justice40. The Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative was “one of the most ambitious efforts to embed energy and environmental justice in federal policy.” With the stroke of his Sharpie, President Donald Trump canceled hundreds of programs across the country in an executive order. This week, the Association of Health Care Journalists offers guidance for journalists interested in tracking local impacts of the program cuts.
Health impacts. The Methane Risk Map is a new tool that combines satellite and geologic data to visualize the community exposure to harmful chemicals like benzene and toluene from natural gas plumes. Read more.
Jobs & Fellowships
CNN Digital is hiring a climate and weather editor (five locations, US). The Financial Times is looking for an energy correspondent (London, UK). The Post and Courier is looking for a rising waters reporter (Charleston, S.C.). The Seattle Times is looking for a climate reporter (Seattle, Wash.). WIRED magazine is looking for a features editor (N.Y., N.Y.). The World Weather Attribution and Grantham Institute at Imperial College is looking for a media relations manager (London, UK).
The Magma Environmental Reporting Fellowship is accepting applications from early career journalists in southern Europe. Apply by August 31. Learn more.
The Pulitzer Center is offering numerous grants for reporting on rainforests, oceans, climate and labor, and corruption, transparency, and governance issues.
