Workshop for Media Professionals

Climate change and related weather events have significant impacts on our coastal communities and environment. In October 2015, the federation along with Climate Communication, Climate Central and the Southeast Climate Science Center hosted a two day workshop that offered field and classroom experiences for media professionals and other interested participants. The goal of the workshop was to enable them to become more knowledgeable about the science on climate change, understand the local impacts and how to communicate with audiences about this complicated topic.

During a field trip to Jones Island, the federation’s Dr. Lexia Weaver shared the importance of healthy and productive living shorelines and coastal estuaries as an adaptive strategy for dealing with climate change and sea level rise. Noting that North Carolina’s estuaries are some of the most ecologically and economically valuable places on earth, she showed how marsh grasses can actually protect property from increasing storms and sea level rise by being adaptive to the influx of water.

Additional presenters included WRAL’s chief meteorologist Greg Fishel; Susan Hassol: Director, Climate Communication; Dr. Pete Peterson, UNC IMS; Dr. Michael Mann: Distinguished Professor, Director, Earth Systems Science Center, Dept. of Meteorology, Penn State University; Dr. Tom Peterson: President, World Meteorological Organization’s Commission for Climatology; Former Principal Scientist, NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center; and Sean Sublette: Meteorologist, Climate Central.

The event was made possible by support from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Below is a video overview of the workshop highlights and expert presentations.

Media coverage of the workshop includes the following articles:

YouTube player