Pulitzer Center Update March 24, 2025
‘Climate Stories Are Human Stories’: Webinar on How To Ensure Equity in Ocean Narratives
Project
Ulithi Atoll's Fight
Pacific communities are embracing tradition and working with scientists to protect their ecosystems.
In the virtual webinar "How to Ensure Equity in Ocean Narratives," Ocean Reporting Network Fellow Jenn Thornhill Verma, along with grantees Barry Christianson and Carl Smith, shared insights and techniques for crafting stories that authentically represent the diverse voices connected to our ocean.
Smith opened the discussion by presenting Ulithi Atoll’s Fight, his Pulitzer Center-supported project on the remote Micronesian community living among the coral-ringed islands of the Ulithi atoll. Since World War II, the region has endured significant environmental changes due to foreign military and industrial activities, which have polluted its once-thriving reef system. Smith’s reporting highlights the community’s efforts to reclaim traditional ecological knowledge as it works to restore its fragile marine ecosystem.
Next, Christianson showcased his Center-supported project, South Africa’s Coastal Communities Besieged by Oil and Gas, which examines the impact of offshore oil and gas projects on local fishing communities. The use of 3D seismic surveys—powerful sound waves deployed to detect underwater oil and gas reserves—has disrupted marine life and threatened the livelihoods of those who depend on the sea. Christianson’s work sheds light on the struggles of these coastal communities as they fight for their rights and the protection of their environment.
Finally, Verma discussed her project Unsettled: How Inuit Are Adapting to Climate Change, Which Is Affecting Coastlines in Canada’s Far North, also supported by the Center. Her project explores how the Labrador Inuit of Nunatsiavut—a remote Arctic region particularly vulnerable to climate change—are navigating rising temperatures, melting ice, and shifting ecosystems. Verma’s reporting captures the resilience and agency of the Inuit as they draw on centuries of adaptation to safeguard their future.
The event concluded with an engaging Q&A session, moderated by Pulitzer Center Program Coordinator and Research Assistant Fernanda Buffa. Audience members asked questions about the speakers’ projects and the investigative process behind ocean reporting.
For more groundbreaking environmental investigations, visit the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network.
Scientists say the seismic surveys used to locate oil and gas are harmful to marine life.
Amid climate shifts, the Labrador Inuit are taking matters into their own hands.
