2021 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment

January 27, 2021   ||   1:00-3:00 p.m. ET, followed by Breakouts

Hosted virtually by National Geographic Society

Watch the recording.

What: The Society of Environmental Journalists' annual look ahead at the year's key energy and environmental issues. The "2021 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment" special report was formally launched Jan. 27 at the 9th annual roundtable organized by the Society of Environmental Journalists.

Hosted virtually by National Geographic Society and co-sponsored by the Wilson Center, the event kicked off with a prerecorded interview with new White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, followed by a live interview with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and SEJ's annual panel of leading journalists offering their predictions for the year ahead.

Coverage:

• "‘We Need to Be Bold,’ Biden Says, Taking the First Steps in a Major Shift in Climate Policy," Inside Climate News, Jan 28, 2021, by Marianne Lavelle, Agya K. Aning, Dan Gearino, David Hasemyer, James Bruggers, Katie Surma, Kristoffer Tigue, Phil McKenna.
• "Senator “It’s Time to Wake Up” Whitehouse Drops His Climate Change Mic," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 3, 2021, by Dan Drollette Jr.

Speaker:

Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor and former Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Facilitator: Jeff Berardelli, Meteorologist and Climate Specialist, CBS News
This is a prerecorded but embargoed exclusive interview for SEJ.

Speaker:

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI
Facilitator: Enric Sala, Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic Society
This is a live session.

Panel Moderator:

Neela Banerjee, Supervising Climate Editor, National Public Radio

Panelists:

Kate Abnett, European Climate & Energy Correspondent, Reuters
Yvette Cabrera, Senior Staff Writer, Environmental Justice, Grist
Sammy Roth, Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times
Mark Trahant, Editor, Indian Country Today

Breakout Rooms:

3:00-4:00 p.m.

Following the keynote and panel sessions, registrants chose one of the four breakout rooms listed below for informal discussion on these timely environmental topics. A $25 Uber Eats voucher, generously provided by National Geographic Society, was sent to breakout room registrants prior to the event. 

1. Unshackling EPA
   Hosts: Cheryl Hogue, Senior Correspondent, Chemical & Engineering News, and Laura Paskus, Correspondent and Producer, New Mexico PBS
2. Department of Interior: Making History and Undoing the Past
   Hosts: Judy Fahys, Mountain West Reporter, Inside Climate News, and Emily Gertz, Senior Editor, Drilled News
3. Climate & Energy: The Year Ahead for Biden's Climate Strike Force
   Hosts: Michael Kodas, Senior Editor, Inside Climate News, and Kathi Kowalski, Freelance Journalist
4. Generational Justice: The Year Ahead for the Youth Climate Movement
   Hosts: Meera Subramanian, Independent Journalist, and Ilana Cohen, Freelance Climate Journalist and Youth Climate Activist

Also check out the guide, including TipSheets on environmental justice and climate policy under Biden, Backgrounders on international treaties and carmakers, and more to come, including additional reports, an overview analysis and live event coverage.