"The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands on Friday warned that people on the island of St. Croix should not drink their tap water because officials found high levels of lead and copper."
For environmental journalists looking to get granular on their coverage of climate risk, Reporter’s Toolbox recommends a new collaborative effort that integrates dozens of separate datasets to provide insights down to the census-tract level. Because it can also be cross-indexed by subjects like health and socioeconomics, it’s particularly useful for environmental justice reporting. Toolbox walks you through the new Climate Vulnerability Index.
"One morning in late June, after a crisp mountain air had settled into Kootenai River valley, Megan Leach heard her chickens clucking nervously. She ventured outside to see the cause for the commotion and noticed that one of her heavy coops, on wheels but sturdy, had been moved. As dusk began to fall later that day, Leach rounded up her chickens to place them in the protection of her barn, feeling that something was watching them. It turned out to be a grizzly bear."
"The UK’s oil and gas regulator is coming under fire from environmental groups for using lawyers to try to prevent the publication of five key documents relating to the environmental impact of Shell’s activities in the North Sea."
"Hurricane Otis claimed the lives of at least 27 people, Mexico's government said on Thursday after one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the country hammered the beach resort of Acapulco, causing damage seen running into billions of dollars."
"Nestled in the San Juan Mountains, Pagosa Springs is located right at the source. Water flows through an elaborate network of streams, rivers, lakes, treatment plants, and pipelines. It can be accessed through the simple turn of a tap. But living at the headwaters of a major Western river system does not equal water security for all."
"A decade after they were first envisioned in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy ’s destruction, two of the largest flood control projects designed to protect the densely populated cities of New Jersey that lie just outside New York City will finally get underway Wednesday."
"Fossil fuel companies have spent millions of dollars on lobbying and campaign donations to state lawmakers who sponsored anti-protest laws – which now shield about 60% of US gas and oil operations from protest and civil disobedience, according to a new report from Greenpeace USA."
"A lack of clean water in the Gaza Strip is raising major concerns for human health."
In the second of a two-parter for our 2024 Journalists’ Guide to Environment + Energy, the latest TipSheet considers how local environmental journalists can make news out of the state-by-state patchwork of flood risk disclosure laws amid rising climate extremes. A dozen-and-a-half story ideas and reporting resources on the topic. Plus, see part one on climate and insurance.
Advertisement 
