A conference designed to change coverage of climate issues worldwide has been declared a “roaring success” by organizers..Last weekend, the Climate Changes Everything: Creating A Blueprint For Media Transformation conference was held at Columbia Journalism School in New York City. The event was hosted by Covering Climate Now (CCNow), a collaboration of Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) and The Nation in association with The Guardian and WNYC..Organizers declared the event “a roaring success on all levels” in a recent article. The goal, as explained by CJR, was to answer questions such as “How can climate journalists around the country work together? How can they make justice the center of their stories?” The livestream was posted online and available for free with registration..Former UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) executive secretary Christiana Figueres, the key architect of the Paris Agreement, was interviewed at the event. The Guardian, Agence France-Presse, and NBC News reported her statement that Big Oil companies should not attend the COP28 climate summit if they’re only going to obstruct global decarbonization..“The way you report climate is going to have an impact on the quality of life for the planet for the next several decades,” Figueres declared. “So no pressure!”.Figueres added the deployment of solar, wind, batteries and EVs is increasing exponentially as costs plummet, a trend she urged the media to convey to audiences. CCNow promised it would have more to say soon about how journalists can cover this story..Hundreds of journalists participated in presentations and conversations in person and via video link that included best practices, pioneering innovations, constructive criticisms and commitments to new collaborations, as well as constructive criticisms. .“During the Thursday town hall and Friday working group sessions, we made solid progress on the conference goal of creating blueprints to transform how outlets respond to climate change,” organizers reported..“Attendees will receive a survey soon to share further thoughts.”.Organizers also handed out awards to those who covered “climate injustice” and solutions. More than 100 journalists from around the world chose winners from nearly 1,100 entries submitted by colleagues in 29 countries..“Audiences need to know not only that the planet is on fire but why that’s happening and what can be done about it,” said Kyle Pope, editor and publisher of Columbia Journalism Review and chair of the CCNow Journalism Awards judging committee..The Waverly Street Foundation was recognized for sponsoring the event. The foundation is the charitable organization of Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Powell Jobs announced in 2021 she would give $3.5 billion to environmental causes over the next ten years..Other Waverly Street Foundation grantees include the Just Transition Found, the Resilient Cities Network and Ecotrust. The organization, headquartered in Pala Alto, CA, gave $124 million in 2021, with the average recipient receiving $5,186,458..Since CCNow’s founding in 2019, more than 500 media outlets in 57 countries have come on board, reaching a combined audience of two billion people. CCNow’s newly updated resource on the 2015 Paris Accord, “Reporting on the 1.5-degree-C Target,” claims the eight years since then were the warmest on record. .Climate Science 101 was presented to attendees. It’s precis says “It’s real. It’s us. Experts agree. It’s serious. There’s hope.”.CCNow also covered the same material in an online article..“Put simply, the Earth is running a fever, and it’s wreaking havoc for everything we care about — our food, water, health, safety, economy and more,” the primer claims..“We see examples of the consequences of a warming planet all over: monster floods, rampant wildfires and longer and more deadly heatwaves. And yet, if we do nothing to solve climate change, global temperature rise is forecast to reach two to four degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century, with far worse disasters and ensuing chaos sure to follow.”.More events will be hosted this fall to craft climate coverage. On October 4 and 5, the Global Landscapes Forum is co-hosting an online seminar with the Pulitzer Center, Grist and Deutsche Welle on how journalists can best cover the “climate and biodiversity crises.” .On November 15, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the Oxford Climate Journalism Network will host a conversation with climate scientist Dr. Friederike Otto, co-founder of World Weather Attribution. In-person and online attendees will hear how journalists can cover this year’s UN climate summit.
