SEJ's Fund for Environmental Journalism has awarded $19,976 for seven new story projects selected through the Winter 2018-2019 round of competition for stories about drinking water and stormwater in the United States. Pictured: Grantee Arizona Daily Star's Tony Davis.
It’s a “make or break” year for a range of environmental and energy issues, advise leading journalists at the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual “2019 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment” event in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 25. The gathering also featured a surprise appearance by a top EPA official, who was questioned about administration policy on climate change. Read our coverage of the forum in this SEJ News report.
With 2019 in full swing, the SEJournal offers an analysis of the year ahead in environment and energy news, with an overview of our full special report, the “2019 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment.” Plus, don’t miss SEJ’s Jan. 25 event with top reporters to help you keep track of the big stories on the beat. RSVP here to attend in-person or online.
From under a blanket of dense smog that hung over the southern Polish town hosting a recent United Nations climate change conference, the president of the Society of Environmental Journalists, Bobby Magill, had a moment of clarity for the profession and the organization. His insights, and how they will affect the future of SEJ as it begins a new strategic planning process, in Magill’s latest SEJ President’s Report. Plus, a special honor for a “tireless” SEJ leader.
"More than 600 organizations signed a letter supporting the ambitious proposal, but eight of the largest ones did not."
"Automakers have promised to start selling hordes of electric cars in the next few years, but only two will be unveiled at the big Detroit auto show that kicks off this week — and those aren’t even ready for production."
"Pacific Gas and Electric said on Monday that it would seek bankruptcy protection as “the only viable option” as the giant California utility faces billions of dollars in liability claims from two years of deadly wildfires."
"The ice in Antarctica is melting six times faster than it did just 40 years ago, a new study reports.
This dramatic acceleration of the ice loss is a clear indication of human-caused climate change, the study authors said.
Lead author Eric Rignot, an ice scientist at the University of California–Irvine, said the melting ice has caused global sea levels to rise more than half an inch since 1979.
While that may not sound like much, the amount is certainly alarming to climate scientists, as it's a preview of things to come:"
U.S. courts will be a key venue of environmental conflict in 2019, as the Trump administration pushes back against an extensive array of long-standing environmental law. This special edition Issue Backgrounder looks at seven key legal disputes, including cases involving climate change liability, intergenerational equity and policy, as well as conflicts over maintaining national monuments, defining which waters are subject to anti-pollution rules, disposing of coal ash and extending offshore drilling.
Expect the fight to worsen over the Trump Administration’s attempted rollback of auto mileage standards. Not only is California resisting a loss of its waiver to set tighter rules, joining at least 16 other states in a preemptive lawsuit. But carmakers themselves are deviating from the Trump line, worried over a fracturing of the nationwide auto market or seeking an edge in the field for more efficient vehicles. This special edition TipSheet looks at prospects for conflict in the year ahead.
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