Ocean + Climate Workshop Series:
Gulf Coast

October 6 +7

Deadly hurricanes. Inland flooding. Toxic air and oil spills. Red tides. Year after year, catastrophes grab headlines in the Gulf of Mexico, and yet the region manages to provide for the nearly 16 million people who live along its coast. Commercial fishing fleets ply the waters for shrimp and snapper. The oil and gas industry maintains offshore platforms and onshore terminals. Tourists flock to the beaches. Indigenous communities continue to live off of the bounty of the bayous.

This juxtaposition of catastrophe and abundance highlights the complex natural resource issues that impact people, ecosystems and economies along the Gulf Coast every day. The Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources hosted an online workshop for journalists aimed at introducing them to important and emerging stories in the Gulf of Mexico and along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Over the course of this two-day online workshop, participating journalists explored how this vibrant, often unappreciated, ecosystem supports and is shaped by human activity. Participants had the opportunity to talk with local residents, fishermen, municipal officials, state agencies, industry representatives, activists and more, as we took a deep dive into pressing environmental, economic and social issues along the Gulf Coast.

itinerary

Participating Journalists

post-workshop stories

session recordings

The Ocean + Climate Series is made possible by support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation.

IJNR maintains editorial independence and control in all of its programming and decision-making.