Environmental Journalism in the Deep South
Louisiana and the Deep South face increasing environmental threats. Coastal land is vanishing while wetlands that once buffered communities from storms are degrading. Hurricanes and other extreme weather events continue to have long-term consequences for many residents. Meanwhile, the water upon which people depend is threatened by industrial pollution, farm chemicals, and advancing saltwater that follows rising seas inland.
Climate change amplifies these and other environmental challenges. Addressing these interconnected concerns demands improved cooperation between government agencies, industries, and local communities.
Scientists provide crucial data and analysis, but environmental journalists serve as the bridge between scientific findings and wider public understanding. They investigate not just environmental conditions, but who's making the decisions that determine how well communities can adapt and survive.
Federal environmental laws directly affect this region's future. Journalists must track whether landmark legislation, such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Coastal Zone Management Act, maintains its protective power or gets weakened through regulatory changes that rarely make headlines.
Beyond the laws themselves, enforcement is critical. Are EPA inspectors still appearing at industrial sites? How many polluters actually pay meaningful fines? When violations occur, do real consequences follow, or do companies simply factor occasional penalties into their cost of doing business?
The permitting process needs examination also. When new industrial projects seek approval, are environmental impact studies thorough and independent, or are they fast-tracked in ways that sacrifice community protection?
Federal funding for coastal restoration represents one of our region's most vital lifelines. Louisiana requires adequate funding to counter disappearing land and strengthen natural storm barriers. Journalists must track whether promised funding occurs, how effectively it's used, and what happens when political priorities shift.
Federal investment in climate adaptation affects everything from flood-resistant infrastructure to renewable energy development. Reporters must examine whether communities receive adequate support for their planning, whether infrastructure projects truly get built, and how equitably these resources reach different neighborhoods.
When disasters strike, the federal response reveals priorities through action, not just rhetoric. Do cleanup efforts address environmental contamination comprehensively? Does rebuilding create more resilient communities, or simply restore previous vulnerabilities? Do historically marginalized communities receive equitable attention and resources, or do they face continuing neglect during recovery efforts?
Environmental journalism pursues investigation of the relationships between government regulatory agencies and the industries they oversee. Corporate lobbying shapes policy in ways that often remain invisible to the public. Tracking campaign contributions, lobbying expenditures, and policy outcomes can show whether industry interests override environmental protection.
The revolving door between industry and government creates ongoing conflicts of interest. Who gets appointed to key environmental positions? What are their professional backgrounds and financial ties? These personnel decisions often matter as much or more than policy announcements.
The most compelling environmental journalism connects policy decisions to human consequences. Residents living near industrial facilities, fishermen watching their traditional grounds disappear, and families dealing with contaminated water supplies can explain how policy and regulatory changes affect their daily life in ways that statistics alone cannot capture. Local officials can often provide journalists with useful perspectives on how federal policy shifts create practical challenges for communities trying to address environmental problems with limited resources.
Environmental journalists face the difficult task of making complicated, long-term issues engaging and accessible without oversimplifying scientific evidence or policy nuances. The best reporting combines compelling personal stories with careful data analysis, helping readers understand both the human stakes and important technical matters that determine policy effectiveness. Informed public engagement helps determine whether communities adapt successfully to changing conditions or face displacement and decline.
Among noteworthy regional investigative journalists are some who have worked for The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate. Tristan Baurick extensively covered coastal land loss, Louisiana's climate adaptation plans, and the oil and gas industry's environmental impacts. His "Polluter's Paradise" series examining industrial pollution along "Cancer Alley" was particularly impactful.
Mark Schleifstein as a veteran environmental journalist won a Pulitzer Prize describing Louisiana's coastal erosion crisis. He has long documented the state's environmental challenges, including hurricane impacts.
Sara Sneath examined coastal restoration, wetlands loss, and fisheries issues. Her reporting on the BP oil spill's long-term impacts gained significant attention.
Austin Ramsey and Tegan Wendland traveled across Louisiana interviewing scientists, farmers, industry leaders and politicians and examined evidence concerning the overuse of the state’s valuable resource of groundwater.
Justin Nobel’s work as a freelance reporter on radioactive oil and gas waste in Louisiana and throughout the South has appeared in national publications. He is an award-winning journalist reporting on issues of environmental justice with a book entitled Petroleum-238: Big Oil’s Dangerous Secret and the Grassroots Fight to Stop It.
Lyndsey Gilpin was the founder of Southerly, a publication dedicated to ecology, justice, and culture in the American South. She focuses on environmental justice in rural communities and was recently hired by the publication Grist to spearhead their news reporting to reach underserved communities.
In addition to Southerly and Grist, there are media sources that expressly have environmental and climate reporting missions. Inside Climate News was founded in 2007 as a nonprofit and non-partisan publication and is said to have the largest dedicated climate newsroom in the nation. Others are Yale Environment 360, The Cool Down, E&E News, DeSmog (climate news and the fossil fuel industry), Anthropocene Magazine, Circle of Blue (water issues and climate-related water crises), and The New Lede. Many of these organizations have different funding models than traditional media, including non-profit structures, foundation support, membership programs, or university affiliations that allow them to focus deeply on environmental issues.
The stakes for environmental journalism have never been higher, as the decisions made over the next decade will shape the Deep South's environmental future for generations to come.