Environmental Issue News: Best Resources

If you want to stay informed about environmental issue news, then the Internet has a treasure trove of resources. Here’s a list of the most reliable and useful sites to stay up-to-date on the latest environmental current events.

Grist (grist.org) – Grist calls itself “a beacon in the smog.” The Seattle-based publication is widely regarded as one of the most reliable and readable news sources about the environment. They also don’t shy away from humor, which is welcome when reading about the many challenges we face in living within our means, ecologically. Grist has won numerous Webbies, an award given out by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, for excellence on the Internet.

Mother Jones (motherjones.com) – Mother Jones is an award-winning, progressive, non-profit news magazine. In addition to regular feature articles about environmental current events, their blog concerning the environment, “Blue Marble,” is regularly-updated and includes concise, food-for-thought articles about the environment and public policy. Their “Econumdrums” articles weigh in on controversial environmental issues.

E Environmental Magazine (emagazine.com) – E Magazine is 21 years old and started in print. An independent magazine, E’s website offers expanded coverage and blogs on a wide variety of environmental current events. They publish a conservation advice blog called “Earth Talk,” which is also offered in Spanish.

National Geographic (nationalgeographic.com) – The standard-bearer of print magazines and photography, National Geographic has often waded into the environmental debate, with consummate features regarding science, wildlife and environmental current events. While their website is no substitute for their magazine, it does offer a lot of articles and, of course, gorgeous photos. It also features content for children. National Geographic has been around since 1888, a time when we clearly saw the environment and other cultures less sensitively. Nonetheless, it has done a lot to remain timely and still has a lot to offer.

Pro Publica (propublica.org) – Pro Publica is a non-profit public-interest investigative journalism site. They are the first online news organization to win the Pulitzer prize, American journalism’s most prestigious award. They meticulously track stories and have a whole section of their site dedicated to high-pressure hydraulic fracturing natural gas extraction (commonly referred to as “fracking”), a controversial mining procedure that has gained a lot of attention in the national media.

Democracy Now! (democracynow.org) – A nationally-syndicated, independent news program, Democracy Now! regularly features a wide variety of leading voices in the environmental debate, such as Bill McKibben, Vandana Shiva and Michael Pollan. They also report on protest actions conducted by environmentalists. Their daily show streams on the web in a variety of formats and they sometimes offer extended online content.

Environmental News Network (enn.com) –  ENN publishes articles and maintains a blog dedicated to environmental news and sustainable business. It also aggregates a lot of environmental issue news from around the web through international press and non-profit organizational partnerships.

Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) – The EWG is a non-profit founded in 1993. Concerned with public interest environmental action, their main focus is protecting children from environmental toxins. Their in-depth research has produced excellent guides on cell-phone radiation, chemicals in cosmetics and more. Their “Enviroblog” contains news and policy updates.

BBC Nature and Science (bbc.co.uk) – The British Broadcasting Corporation’s Nature and Science section is a great resource for environmental issue news. The BBC is the foremost public media service of Great Britain and is one of the largest and most well-respected and active news organizations in the world. While the website is a great resource, using an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) reader to read this content may be better, as it can be quite voluminous. The advantage though, is the that information is always up-to-date.

VBS’ Toxic (vbs.tv) – VBS’s parent publication, Vice, is a fashion and youth culture magazine known for being racy and a little punk. Their video site, VBS, features news and culture shows. Of particular interest is the Toxic series, where Vice journalists travel to environmental hotspots such as the Alberta Tar Sands or the Gulf of Mexico during the BP Deepwater Horizon spill. If you want to see what these places look like from the ground and hear from the distinct voices of those involved, this is an excellent place to start. VBS content has also been featured on CNN.

Be sure to follow several different organizations for environmental current events. You’ll see that each one has a slightly different perspective and the multiple points of view will give you a more complete picture of the issues.