Issue

Environment and Climate Change

Earth's average temperature has risen approximately one degree Fahrenheit in the last 50 years. By the end of this century, it will be several degrees higher, according to the latest climate research.

But global warming is doing more than simply making things a little warmer. It's changing rainfall, causing heat waves, and making sea level rise, all of which create human suffering.

Environment and Climate Change brings together reporting from Pulitzer Center grantees on the abilities of communities in diverse regions to bounce back and adapt to the impacts of climate change: One highlight includes in-depth reporting by Nathaniel Rich on the response to global warming during the 1979-1989 decade—an article that takes up the entire issue of The New York Times Magazine. Our journalists investigate climate change in the Arctic—the effects on indigenous communities, the destruction of the fragile natural environment, and the conflict between humans and polar bears. One interactive, award-winning multimedia project, "Sea Change," looks at ocean acidification, its impact on fishing, people's livelihoods, and food security. The documentary "Easy Like Water" features a solar-powered school boat in Bangladesh, where flooding may create 20 million "climate refugees" by mid-century.

Other stories covered here range from the future of the residents of Kiribati, a low-lying island nation in the Pacific, to the biological diversity of the rainforest in Peru, and the psychological effects of climate change on the inhabitants of Australia and Fiji. How does the melting Arctic ice cap affect our lives? How do overfishing and exploitation of mineral resources beneath the ocean’s surface jeopardize food sources need to sustain the planet’s ever-expanding population?

As part of the Pulitzer Center's long-term support for climate change reporting, the Rainforest Journalism Fund was established to provide capacity for local journalists operating in the rainforest regions of Latin America, Africa, and Asia, as well as international journalists reporting from those regions. The Fund represents a major investment in global environmental and climate reporting, with plans to support nearly 200 original reporting projects along with annual regional conferences designed to raise the level of reporting on global rainforest issues such as deforestation and climate change.

 

Environment and Climate Change

Suffocated Amazon

A look at Amazonian fires and deforestation during the dry season and the possible consequences for the health of the Amazonian population over the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Road Mine Scandal in Hutan Harapan

The construction of a mining road in Hutan Harapan is a conspiracy between Peter Sondakh, owner Rajawali Group and the government. Road construction causes deforestation.

Korporasi Api (The Fire Corporation)

The fires that destroyed 1.53 million hectares of Indonesia’s forests and land in 2019 were triggered by the expansion of forest product and oil palm plantations and industrial activity.

Buried Hopes: Stories from Kachin's Jade Mines

A multifaceted look at jade mining in Kachin State, Myanmar, where despite longstanding calls for reform, July saw another deadly landslide in the weakly-regulated industry.

Refugees From the Earth

Propublica and the New York Times magazine use a groundbreaking data model to explore the daunting implications of climate change for global migration.

Meet the Journalist: Eli Kintisch

Eli Kintisch wrote and produced THAW, a documentary series that tells the story of a journey to the Arctic ocean in the dead of winter, revealing a radically changing ecosystem with global implications.

Meet the Journalist: Sam Eaton

Environmental journalist Sam Eaton discusses his deep dive reporting trip along Brazil’s violent “arc of deforestation” to explore the crucial question: Can we save the Amazon, so it can help save us?

Meet the Journalist: Roxanne Scott

In 1960, about 100,000 turkeys in England suddenly died. Could grain contamination be the cause? Roxanne Scott explores how Nigerian farmers are planning to recover from aflatoxin contamination.

Meet the Journalist: Amy Martin

Threshold is a public radio show and podcast tackling one pressing environmental issue each season. The show aims to be a home for nuanced journalism about human relationships with the natural world.