Government

The fossil fuel industry’s outsized climate policy role in the U.S.’s most populous state is the core of award-winning coverage from investigative journalist Aaron Cantú for nonprofit newsroom Capital & Main. In the new Inside Story Q&A, Cantú shares some of what challenged him in his reporting, what surprised him most and a lesson learned.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to pull the United States out of the Paris climate treaty and to maximize U.S. fossil fuel production. And as the transition to his incoming administration unfolds, he has named a cabinet replete with climate action skeptics. But will all that stop the transition to cleaner power? The latest EJ TransitionWatch has an assessment.

If the idea of an FBI director targeting journalists seems oh so last century, then Donald Trump’s prospective pick for the post has news for you. And that isn’t even the all of it. As WatchDog Opinion writes, the incoming administration bodes a litany of woes for free speech advocates, starting with the misuse of the law to try to silence a critical press. What should be done?

Public health is an environmental story (think links between infectious disease and climate change, for example). So Trump administration nominees to head leading U.S. public health agencies — including vaccine skeptics, COVID-19 contrarians and physicians with little public health experience — are a story for environmental journalists to watch closely. The latest EJ TransitionWatch helps with a rundown of five top picks. Plus, the latest health headlines from EJ Today.

Illicit trade in wild animals and plants is a billion-dollar global business that threatens biodiversity and human health. Endless reporting opportunities range from exposing corruption and criminal networks to debunking claims about products derived from endangered species. Journalist Rene Ebersole shares insights from her 20 years on the trail of wildlife smugglers, poachers and other environmental lawbreakers — and introduces a new nonprofit dedicated to this beat.

The closest thing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has to a press policy is actually its scientific integrity policy. But as WatchDog Opinion writer Joseph Davis writes in the latest EJ TransitionWatch, the EPA’s scientific integrity policy is under direct attack by a powerful congressman. What’s behind the attack? And could the EPA’s science be under assault next?