Suggested Stories: Climate and Environment

CHOOSE YOUR STORY

Climate and Environment includes stories about climate change and environmental damage, the communities most impacted, and how people are resisting and building solutions. Explore the stories below to find one that interests you. Then, use this worksheet to support you with writing a letter that asks a decisionmaker to take action.

CONTEST GUIDELINES

Stories for Grades 3 and Up

STORY	MEDIA	PUBLICATION	CONTENT WARNINGS
“I Visited a Beautiful Coral Reef in 2022. What I Saw There This Summer Shocked Me.” by Benji Jones and Jennifer Adler	Photo, Text	Vox	N/A
“State of Change: How Planting Grasslands Fights Climate Change” by Michelle Lotker	Video, Photo, Text	PBS North Carolina	N/A

Stories for Grades 6 and Up

STORY	MEDIA	PUBLICATION	CONTENT WARNINGS
“Environmental Row Over ‘Last Chance Tourism’ in Canada’s Melting Arctic” by Daniel Wizenberg and Berta Vicente Salas	Photo, Text	The Guardian	N/A
“Ghana’s Historic Sites Face Climate Change Destruction” by Richard Annerquaye Abbey	Photo, Text	Joy Online	N/A
“Portraits of Drought: Farmers Struggle To Adapt to Arid Conditions in Kunene” by Mandile Mpofu	Photo, Text	Pulitzer Center	N/A
“Spain: A Coastal Landscape Dies” by Tobias Landwehr	Video, Photo, Text	Süddeutsche Zeitung	N/A
“Saving Our Soil” by Fernando Figueroa	Photo, Text	WUFT	N/A
“Dispossessed by Climate—Iraqi Refugees in Their Own Country” by Susan Schulman	Photo, Text	The Markaz Review	N/A
“After Mangroves Disappear, Sumatran Village Braces for Worsening Tidal Waves” by Tonggo Simangunsong	Photo, Text	The Jakarta Post	N/A
“Unmasking the Individuals Whose Lives Bear the Burden of Environmental Injustice” by Nitashia Johnson	Photo, Text	Photographers Without Borders	N/A
“How Extreme Heat Impacts Your Brain and Mental Health” by Aryn Baker	Text	TIME Magazine	Discussion of suicide and mental health crises

Stories for Grades 9 and Up

STORY	MEDIA	PUBLICATION	CONTENT WARNINGS
“Neglected and Exposed: Toxic Air Lingers in a Texas Latino Community, Revealing Failures in State’s Air Monitoring System” by Alejandra Martinez et al.	Video, Photo, Text	The Texas Tribune	N/A
“How the Oil and Gas Industry Smuggles Corporate Propaganda Into Schools” by Molly Taft and Amy Westervelt	Text	Drilled	N/A
“From Merino Blend to Microplastic Monsoon: Hidden Health Hazards in Leftover Clothing” by Anne Whiting	Photo, Text	Pulitzer Center	N/A
“Forests in Vietnam’s Central Highlands At Risk as Development Projects Take Priority” by Le Quynh	Photo, Graphs, Text	Mongabay	N/A
“The Soil Farmers: Black Food Sovereignty and Climate Solutions” by Justin Cook	Photo, Text	NC Newsline	N/A
“Are Carbon Offsets All They’re Cracked Up To Be? We Tracked One From Kenya to England To Find Out.” by Angus Chapman and Desné Masie	Text	Vox	N/A
“The Dirty Secret of Alternative Plastics” by Aryn Baker	Text	TIME	N/A
“Prolonged Drought Brings Famine, Death, and Fear to Somalia” by Cara Anna	Photo, Text	Associated Press	Images of malnourished children
“EVs and the Deep Sea: Should We Mine the Ocean To Make Clean Cars in South Carolina?” by Clare Feiseler	Text	The Post and Courier	N/A
“Snack Giant PepsiCo Sourced Palm Oil From Razed Indigenous Land” by Elisângela Mendonça et al.	Photo, Text	The Bureau of Investigative Journalism	N/A
“In Central America, a Booming Economy Comes At a Cost” by Anusha Mathur	Photo, Text	POLITICO Magazine	N/A