gress about global warming. Now, after Paris, there is an unprece- dented level of opportunity to tell a story environmental journalists are rarely afforded: That the good guys are winning. “One of the main changes post-Paris is that the question is no longer whether there will be action on climate, but the pace and scale of that change,” said Jennifer Morgan, director of the global climate program at the World Resources Institute. Climate change is now legally recognized as a serious problem by nearly every country on Earth.


The global warming threshold enshrined in the agreement — “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — pro- vides a concrete point of reference with which to hold elected offi- cials and industry leaders accountable. Countless corporations, banks, universities, NGOs, militaries and other significant institutions have already elevated climate change as a priority that shouldn’t, can’t and won’t be ignored. Energy solutions that seemed like pipe dreams only a few years ago, like widespread rooftop solar, are now multimillion-dollar businesses that rival the entrenched fossil fuel industries for em- ployment and political clout [j.mp/SolarJobsGrowing]. President Barack Obama has stuffed climate policies into dozens of nooks and crannies across the executive branch, deep enough that they will be difficult or impossible for even the most


anti-science future president to root out completely. As for Congress…well, too much good news would just be


boring, right? Reporting on ‘forward momentum’


The upshot is that the tacit assumption lurking behind many climate stories of the last several years — that the problem is over- whelming and intractable — no longer rings true. Our audiences are sick of reading bummer climate stories, anyway. These successes shouldn’t lead to complacency. Environmental journalists must be more vigilant than ever against corporate green- washing, shoddy science, political denialism and other insidious threats to the public interest. But now, we can afford to hold all of our stories to a higher standard of forward momentum on climate change. Here are a few ideas for what to watch: ● The big picture: In his final year in office, the president is likely to have a few final climate policies to unveil. But just as im- portant will be the ongoing fight to protect the Clean Power Plan, his flagship regulation to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The plan is under legal attack from two dozen coal- reliant states, but is essential for the United States to live up to its


An art project dubbed “Ice Watch,” part of which is shown here at the Place du Pantheon, brought large chunks of Greenland ice to Paris during the climate summit. Photo: © Gary Braasch / WorldViewofGlobalWarming.org


6 SEJournal Spring 2016


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28