Caty Arevalo (SFI Journalism Fellow)
Abstract. For a passionate science reporter, covering climate change is a fascinating but frustrating task. In one sense, it is like drinking from a fire hose: you have to consider the science, the politics, the economics...and present it in compelling way that is comprehensible to a broad audience suffering from climate news fatigue. For the last decade Caty Arevalo has worked as a correspondent, editor, and producer for the world’s largest Spanish-language news organization, EFE, primarily covering climate change, energy, biodiversity, and sustainable development. She co-founded EFEverde, EFE’s online platform for environmental news. Arevalo asks what two decades of climate communication failure from journalists, politicians, scientists, and environmentalists have taught us? How can scientists and journalists collaborate to help people internalize the importance and the urgency of what is the greatest human challenge of our time? Let’s explore the do’s and don’ts of climate communications, and find the right ways to call the attention of audiences to this issue that is so vital to the future of the planet.