As part of its periodic survey of the compelling work by digital journalists using data and multimedia, Reporter’s Toolbox looks at some favorite projects in the last year or so. On the list are granular maps and spinning globes, compelling photo essays and clickable storytelling. But the heart of the best digital journalism, Toolbox reminds us, is that it matters. And these do.
Toilet-to-tap water jokes aside, the technology and economics of turning sewage into potable drinking water is increasingly seen as a remedy for water-stressed communities. The new BookShelf review of “Purified: How Recycled Sewage is Transforming Our Water,” explains how water shortages, climate change, unsustainable growth and other factors have led some communities, most recently Los Angeles, to consider going “all in” on purified wastewater.
While the first offshore wind turbine started sending power into the U.S. grid just last month, and the renewable power source has enthusiastic support from the Biden administration, the industry has been slowed by politics, high interest rates and supply chain problems. But the latest Issue Backgrounder explores why offshore wind can be expected to succeed.
Spoorthy Raman is a freelance science and environment journalist based in Canada. Her stories have been published by Mongabay, Audubon Magazine, Scientific American, The Open Notebook, Science, Deccan Herald and others. You can help support journalists like Spoorthy by giving to SEJ programs, Fund for Environmental Journalism, annual conference diversity travel fellowships, members-in-need fund or creating a legacy with a free will.
"Most of the United States can keep dreaming about a white Christmas, as it likely won’t happen."
"From Alaska to the Gulf Coast, the oil and gas industry and its allies scored key victories in legal battles this year to advance fossil fuel development over green groups’ claims that project approvals violated a bedrock environmental law."
"The country may have a long way to go in its decarbonization goals, but these stories show signs of progress."
"Punishing heat that" hovered and hung on much longer than usual. Flash floods that washed away large swaths of land and life. And wildfires that burned much of the year, leaving a wake of smoke and charred earth."
"Minnesota Democrats, newly in control of the state government, began 2023 by enacting a clean electricity standard. Michigan lawmakers followed suit months later — as one of their final acts before gaveling out for the year."
"Scientists have long wondered whether the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is a ticking time bomb in terms of sea level rise. New evidence from the DNA of a small octopus that lives in the Southern Ocean suggests that the ice sheet is indeed at risk of collapsing, according to a study published on Thursday in the journal Science."
