IJNR Virtual Workshop for Journalists: Ocean and Climate

Ocean and Climate: A Workshop for Journalists
Aug 19 + 20, 2020
ONLINE

Registration opens August 5

Climate change is dramatically impacting the earth’s ocean, threatening both the organisms living within it as well as the livelihoods of the humans along its shores. But the depths of the ocean aren’t simply troubled waters – they are also an arena for solutions, collaboration and discovery.

Through a two-day online workshop, the Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources will gather a host of experts from around North America to discuss the complicated relationship between climate and ocean, current impacts and future possibilities.

Topics to be discussed during the workshop include:

• What Climate Change Means for Our Ocean: Climate change isn’t just causing sea temperature or levels to rise, it’s fundamentally shifting the chemical makeup of ocean water. We’ll break down what that means for biological inhabitants of the Ocean, as well as what it means for the climate and ecosystems of the rest of the globe.
• The Solution to Pollution is…?: The trope “the solution to pollution is dilution” has fueled a millennia-long willingness to dispose of waste by passing it on to the ocean. We’ll talk with experts about the scale and diversity of the modern pollution problem, and what it means for animal, human, community and ecosystem health.  
• Blue Carbon 101: A Low-Tech Weapon Against Climate Change: From mangroves to wetlands, undeveloped shorelines are an underutilized, yet valuable, tool for combating climate change. But what exactly is Blue Carbon, and how is it working to suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere to build some of the world’s most diverse habitats? We’ll learn the ins and outs with experts and explore actions being taken now to build Blue Carbon reserves.
• Environmental Injustice Along America's Coasts: As sea levels rise along the U.S. coastline, disadvantaged communities are often hit first and hardest. Meanwhile, warmer waters fuel changes in fisheries that provide both income and sustenance to deeply rooted Indigenous and immigrant communities. We’ll explore the changing oceanscape with boots on the ground sources and learn more about how communities in places like metro New Jersey and rural Louisiana are planning for an uncertain future.
• The Working Ocean; Energy, Shipping and Tourism: The ocean is a valuable for more than just the communities who live along its edges. Tourism, shipping industries aquaculture and some emerging energy technologies all utilize ocean resources – and contribute to many of its chief issues. We’ll discuss how people are trying to keep a balance among often incompatible interests of human industry.
• Global Policymaking When No One’s In Charge: The underlying problem with protecting the Ocean is that no one country has unilateral control over it. However, a group of ocean protectors hopes to ignite a global movement, dubbed “30x30” in hopes to create the kind of collaboration that could have a meaningful impact on ocean protection. We’ll explore the successes and failures of ocean policy so far, and what might be next in the policy space for protecting Earth’s collective resource.  

Registration will open at noon (Eastern) August 5. Registration is free and will be limited to 25 participants on a first-come, first-served basis.

Registrants must submit a resume and one clip via Submittable.   

The registration link will be sent to the first 25 qualified applicants who submit their credentials, beginning at noon (Eastern) on 8/5.

The registration form will be viewable the morning of 8/5. Early submissions will not be accepted.

Questions? Reach us at:
contact@ijnr.org

Watch the recordings.