GLF Global Media Seminar Panel: Ocean Reporting in the Era of Climate Emergency

As part of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF)'s Global Media Seminar, Pulitzer Center Ocean Editor Jessica Aldred will moderate a panel on ocean reporting.

The Global Media Seminar is a free online seminar in English October 4-5, preceding the GLF Nairobi 2023 Hybrid Conference: A New Vision for Earth, which will be held October 11-12.

For the panel "Ocean Reporting in the Era of Climate Emergency," Aldred will speak with Pulitzer Center grantee Benji Jones and 2023 Ocean Reporting Fellow Gideon Sarpong about improving coverage of ocean issues amid climate change and destruction.

The seriousness of the climate emergency is blatantly evident this year. We’ve had the hottest days and anomalies never seen before. One disturbing indicator is the temperature of the oceans. Marine issues are increasingly at the core of the climate change debate. In this online panel, in partnership with the Pulitzer Center, journalists share how they are working on improving the coverage of the oceans. Participants will hear from reporters investigating the effects of climate change on fishing stocks and how this is driving conflicts in communities in the Global South. Participants will also explore science stories that connect local impacts with the global effects of global warming. 

Speakers: 

• Benji Jones is a trained ecologist and a senior environmental reporter at Vox, covering biodiversity loss and climate change. With support from the Pulitzer Center, he has reported on the effects of heat waves on the Florida Keys coral reefs for his project, The Uncertain Future of America’s Most Iconic Coral Reef.
• Gideon Sarpong is an investigative journalist, co-founder of iWatch Africa, and the Ghana Hub lead of Sustainable Ocean Alliance. As a 2023 Ocean Reporting Fellow in the Pulitzer Center's Ocean Reporting Network, he will report on fisheries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. He has also reported for Center-supported projects on the effects of climate change on fisheries and women in West Africa and the lack of accountability for rubber plantations causing deforestation in Cameroon.

The panel will run for 30 minutes, followed by a 10-minute Q&A.

The GLF Global Media Seminar is open to English-speaking journalists who report on climate change and sustainable development and are currently collaborating with at least one media outlet of global, regional, or national reach. You can apply to participate here.