The Climate Initiative
“My goal is for every student who graduates from CJS to be fully equipped to cover the climate crisis,” wrote Dean Jelani Cobb, not long after being named to his post in 2022.
Since then, the school has moved toward that goal in many ways, building on a strong foundation of coursework and expertise.
In announcing the school’s inaugural Climate Expert in Residence the following year, Dean Cobb expanded on that point: “Journalists have the unique opportunity to not only cover one of the most pressing issues of our time, but influence how we respond to it. For this reason, the Journalism School is dedicated to training reporters that can not only communicate with scientists about complex research topics, but report about those subjects in ways that lead to action.”
The experts in residence so far have included Gisela Winckler, a member of the university’s Earth and Environmental Sciences department; and Romany Webb, deputy director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School.
The Science program has a strong focus on climate that is led by Professor Marguerite Holloway, the school's Director of Science and Environmental Journalism and author of a forthcoming book on climate change.
The M.A. program includes instruction by climate scientists and offers students the chance to take climate-related classes in other departments, including law, public health, ecology, anthropology, earth and environmental sciences.
In the M.S. program, Professor Holloway teaches a fall Reporting class focused on climate; an Environmental Writing class; and a spring seminar, "Covering Climate: Connecting the Dots," in which M.S. students do a deep dive into understanding the complexity of the beat so they develop confidence and authority about reporting on varied aspects of the climate crisis. The seminar includes a strong emphasis on finding new approaches to climate storytelling through discussion with many climate journalists and experts.
Professor Duy Linh Tu, the School’s Dean of Academic Affairs and a documentary filmmaker, teaches climate courses throughout the year as well. Students taking his reporting class learn the basics of newsgathering with a focus on issues facing New York City’s coastlines. His Video 1 class gives students the fundamentals of video storytelling about climate and environmental issues. Then, in the spring semester, students can take his documentary filmmaking course, also focused on climate issues in the city.
CJS Climate News
From Sept 22–29, J-School students immersed themselves in Climate Week NYC, and produced compelling stories for Columbia News Service.
Want cutting-edge coverage of one of the most impactful issues of our time? Explore work created by CJS faculty, alumni and students.
Explore the latest in environmental journalism from the School community.
Reporter Scilla Alecci exposed how a lightly regulated sustainability industry overlooks forest destruction and human rights violations.
There’s a reason many New Yorkers flee the city in the summer — and it’s not just the call of the beaches.
Columbia Journalism School in partnership with the Pulitzer Center is proud to announce the graduates from the Class of 2024 who have been selected
CJS alumni have proven themselves to be more than masters of their craft — they are trailblazers in the field.
The awards ceremony will take place on Tuesday, May 7, at Columbia Journalism School.
Romany Webb, Deputy Director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, will be the journalism school’s in-house expert for topics related to clim
The 2024 ceremony highlighted and honored the outstanding audio and video reporting in the public interest of the last year.
Gisela Winckler will serve as its inaugural Climate Scientist in Residence for fall 2023
“It is vital that current and future journalists really understand how to report on climate issues,” said Professor Duy Linh Tu.
