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The document explains the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and warns that a particularly strong El Niño is forecast, which may lead to record global temperatures. It details the diverse impacts of the 2023-2024 event in Latin America, including crop failures in Mexico and Central America, droughts in northern Brazil, and energy crises in Costa Rica. It provides a list of technical resources and experts for further reporting.

The document outlines how climate-fueled hazards like rising sea levels and extreme weather are reshaping global tourism, leading to trends such as "coolcations" and the decline of snow-based activities. It highlights the economic risks for tourism-dependent communities, the carbon intensity of aviation, and the ethical dilemmas of "last-chance tourism." The guide suggests reporting on adaptation strategies, such as Hawaii's "green fee" and climate insurance in El Salvador, while urging journalists to contextualize aviation emissions beyond their current global percentage.

The document explains that rising temperatures and CO2 concentrations are extending pollen production and mold growth, leading to increased health risks and economic impacts. It encourages reporters to link these seasonal changes to global carbon pollution while highlighting personal adaptation strategies and regional examples from the US, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

The document outlines how climate change affects the tourism industry through environmental degradation and extreme weather, while highlighting the sector's contribution to global emissions. It encourages reporters to investigate adaptation strategies, the risk of exclusionary sustainable tourism, and the specific tensions faced by local populations who depend on tourism but suffer its climate impacts.

The document explains how a warming atmosphere and oceans fuel more powerful thunderstorms, leading to stronger straight-line winds and a shift in 'Tornado Alley' toward the Eastern US. It highlights the economic toll, noting that severe weather accounted for 91% of billion-dollar disasters in the US in 2025, and encourages newsrooms to use attribution studies and local data to illustrate these climate connections.

The document outlines the climate and social risks associated with the expansion of data centers, highlighting their massive energy and water consumption. It warns journalists against uncritically accepting corporate claims about job creation and investment, urging them to investigate local resource competition, 'digital sacrifice zones,' and extractivist dynamics in the Global South.

The document outlines how to cover torrential rains by focusing on the scientific drivers of extreme precipitation, the disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations, the role of territorial planning, and potential adaptation solutions.

The guide outlines best practices for covering wildfires, advising journalists on physical safety, the distinction between climate-driven conditions and ignition sources, and the importance of reporting on vulnerable populations and adaptation measures. It notes that while direct attribution of a single fire to climate change is difficult, global warming increases the frequency and intensity of disasters through higher temperatures and prolonged droughts.

The document outlines how faith communities can serve as sources for climate stories, noting that while many religious leaders acknowledge man-made climate change, a gap often exists between belief and preaching. It encourages reporters to move beyond 'science-vs-religion tropes' and highlights global examples of faith-based climate action, from 'Green Islam' in Indonesia to solar adoption among Evangelicals in Indiana.

The document debunks various climate myths, asserting that current global warming is caused by human CO2 emissions and supported by a scientific consensus of over 99%. It clarifies the difference between weather and climate, rejects the 'urban heat island' effect as a primary driver of warming, and argues that climate action is an economic risk management strategy rather than a political agenda. It further highlights the limitations of biological adaptation, the severe risks of exceeding a 1.5°C temperature increase, and the availability of existing technologies to mitigate the worst impacts.

The guide outlines best practices for social media video journalism, emphasizing the use of smartphones over expensive gear. It provides specific iPhone camera settings (4K at 30fps, Grid on, HDR off), filming techniques such as the rule of thirds and the use of rear cameras, and recommends various software for editing and scheduling, including CapCut, Canva, and Buffer.

The document outlines the current state of global deforestation, noting that 8.1 million hectares were lost in 2024 and that the world is off track to meet the COP26 goal of halting and reversing deforestation by 2030. It identifies agriculture as the primary driver, accounting for 86% of global deforestation over the last decade, and highlights the critical role of old-growth forests in carbon storage. The guide also notes that climate-driven risks, particularly wildfires, have become leading causes of forest loss, with fire becoming the principal driver of tropical forest loss for the first time in 2024.

The COP30 summit in Belém concluded with the "Mutirão global" agreement, which maintained negotiations but postponed key decisions on fossil fuels and adaptation finance. While the summit saw record indigenous participation and significant funding commitments for tropical forests and energy infrastructure, it failed to establish a clear mechanism to limit warming to 1.5°C and lacked a process for reviewing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The document urges reporters to translate these diplomatic results into human-centric stories focusing on vulnerable communities and territorial rights.

The document defines climate disinformation as deliberately incorrect information used to manipulate or protect economic interests, and greenwashing as communication used by governments and companies to appear more sustainable than they are. It advises journalists to avoid 'false equidistance' by reflecting the scientific consensus that over 99% of specialized studies attribute climate change to human activity. Recommended reporting techniques include 'prebunking' (warning audiences about disinformation tactics) and the 'truth sandwich' method (starting and ending with facts while briefly addressing the myth). The guide emphasizes investigating the funding of science, particularly links to the fossil fuel industry, and examining the real-world impact of proposed climate solutions like carbon capture and plastic recycling, which it notes are often promoted by the fossil fuel industry despite limited impact. It highlights that while disinformation is a global phenomenon, its effects are most acute locally in regions with extractive projects and 'green transition' promises.

The document highlights the rapid global growth of solar energy, noting a 31% jump in generation in the first half of 2025 and its cost-effectiveness compared to fossil fuels. It advises journalists to move past 'alternative energy' framing, treat intermittency as a manageable issue rather than a fundamental obstacle, and be skeptical of 'weird solar' innovations that cannot compete with mass-produced panels. The guide also provides specific examples of solar applications, from agrivoltaics in Illinois to mini-grids in Nigeria and resilience hubs in Houston.

The document advises climate reporters to humanize scientific research, avoid hyperbolic language, and vet sources to prevent the spread of low-quality or overgeneralized findings. It highlights the risk of predatory journals and provides a curated list of tools and journals for verifying research.

The document outlines the climate and community risks associated with the proliferation of AI data centers, noting their high energy and water demands and their tendency to rely on fossil fuels. It provides practical advice for journalists to report on local data center capacity, utility rate increases, and pollution, while citing specific examples of community struggles in the US and AI's varied roles in climate adaptation and forecasting.

The document outlines how climate change acts as a 'threat multiplier' for water scarcity, noting that nearly two-thirds of the global population faces severe water shortages at least one month per year. It highlights that freshwater demand is projected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030, exacerbated by agricultural use and outdated infrastructure. The guide suggests reporting on solutions such as wastewater reuse, sustainable agriculture, and transboundary cooperation, while providing specific examples of water crises in the United States, Mexico, and South Africa.

The document outlines how climate change and mismanagement are exacerbating global water scarcity, noting that freshwater demand is projected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030. It highlights the role of water scarcity as a 'threat multiplier' for conflict and suggests that journalists explore solutions such as infrastructure updates, sustainable agriculture, and international cooperation.

The document commemorates Bill Moyers, highlighting his instrumental role in launching Covering Climate Now in 2019 to break the 'climate silence' in news media. It notes his contributions in providing a keynote speech at the Columbia School of Journalism and helping raise the initial $1 million in philanthropic support. The text describes how CCNow's early efforts, combined with global mobilizations like those led by Greta Thunberg, helped shift political and media priorities toward climate change.