Reporting on climate change

Stories of heatwaves, wildfires and floods increasingly dominate the news, and public concern about climate change is at an all-time high. The appetite and need for evidence-based reporting on how climate change is reshaping our societies and economies continues to grow, as the issue intersects with all beats in the newsroom – from health to politics, business to sports and culture.

This course will give you the foundation of knowledge necessary to report on climate change in an evidence-based manner. It is for you if you wish to gain insight and understanding of both the technical aspects of climate change science and policy, as well as how to report on it in ways that connect climate change as a global issue to local concerns and people’s everyday lives.

What will you learn?

The following learning objectives will all be covered throughout the course:

• Gain knowledge of core concepts in climate science, economics and policy, including international climate negotiations, to provide a grounding in the subject.
• Understand current and future impacts of climate change globally and in the UK, and the risks they pose to the environment, businesses, and people in their everyday lives.
• Understand the scale of change needed in UK society to tackle climate change, and the benefits and challenges this could bring for the economy and society.
• Understand best practice and challenges in communicating about climate change, including how to take climate change from a global to a local story and concern.
• Learn to find and assess expert sources and resources on climate change; identify misinformation and avoid ‘false balance’ in climate change reporting.

This course is delivered via the NCTJ’s Journalism Skills Academy. It will take around 6 hours to complete in total. You can start at any time and work at your own pace.

To self-enrol you will need to login or set up a free account on the Journalism skills Academy site.