During high tide, inhabitants of India’s Ghoramara Island work on creating a soil embankment to restrain further land erosion and prevent coastal flooding. Image: Debsuddha Banerjee/Climate Visuals Countdown
TABLE OF CONTENTS
This guide was written by GIJN’s Resource Center senior advisor, Toby McIntosh. It was edited by Nikolia Apostolou, Laura Dixon, and Reed Richardson, with fact-checking by Miranda Woolen. Unless specifically credited, photos for this guide come from Climate Visuals.
Chapter 1: Key Questions
Looking at Predictable Future Impacts | Key Questions to Ask
Chapter 2: Understanding Rising Sea Levels
Key Reports that Journalists Should Read | Higher Risk of Adverse Consequences
Chapter 3: Maps and Data
Documenting Sea Level Rise | Climate Central: Most Journalist-Friendly Resource | Other Sources on Projected Sea Level Increases | Seek Access to National Data | Build on Reports | Regional and National Sources | Studying Historic Records
Chapter 4: Story Tips and Best Practices
Pursue Accountability | Watching for Misinformation | Making Science Part of the Narrative | Practice Coastal Journalism | Story Angles on Sea Level Rise
Chapter 5: Visualizing Rising Oceans
Impact on Well-Known Places | Interactive Maps | Photographs and Graphics | Artists at Work
Chapter 6: Notable Investigations
The Big Picture: Coastal Communities Threatened | Migration | Impact on Women, Children, the Poor, and the Vulnerable | Impact on Farming and Fishing | Loss of Wildlife Habitats | Impact on Businesses | Real Estate Values | Loss of Affordable Housing | Effects on Roads and Transportation | Impact on Landfills and Other Low-Lying Public Facilities | Historic and Iconic Places | Insurance Implications | Lack of Good Data | Adaptation Debates Emerging
