Reporting on disasters: Resources for media and journalists

Adaptation is not a substitute for mitigation. Cutting emissions remains indispensable to preventing the worst outcomes of climate change. Even if we succeed in limiting warming to 1.5°C, we will still face more floods, heatwaves, and ecosystem losses.

Journalists and editors covering water scarcity issues from around the world discussed their methods and strategies at the 14th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC25) in the session "Investigating the Water Crisis Through a Local Lens."

The Model Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan for Media Institutions is designed to empower every media institution, large or small, public or private, to develop or improve its own disaster preparedness and response plan.

SciLine’s media briefing explored how governments develop and update emergency response plans, how agencies deliver clear and credible warnings, and why some people evacuate while others stay behind.

Grist created a comprehensive guide to help you stay ready and informed before, during, and after these traumatic and chaotic events, as well as where to find and build support in your community.

Between May 2024 and May 2025, 4 billion people—about 49% of the global population—experienced at least 30 additional days of extreme heat, according to a recent study.

This document is as a practical resource to strengthen wildfire journalism in Canada.

The examples in this guide are not news about the weather or stories on the latest scientific reports. but journalistic investigations about the effects of rising heat on humans.

Journalists from around the Western US gathered online for a Society of Environmental Journalists' webinar on wildfire and the new extremes, where they swapped insights about field reporting and discussed how coverage is changing. Here at top tips.

To bolster media institutions to operate effectively during disasters and to support society's ability to withstand and recover from disasters, UNESCO is developing a Model Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan for Media Institutions.