Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

The IPCC is the scientific authority on climate change. In November 2007, the IPCC published its Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), a complete synthesis of the latest scientific and economic analysis of the causes and impacts of climate change, and of ways to mitigate and adapt to the problem. The synthesis report is the most accessible summary of the main findings, while the three Working Group reports provide more detailed information. www.ipcc.ch 

Synthesis Report of the Copenhagen Climate Congress

This report provides an update on climate change science and is based on research presented at a major international conference in Copenhagen in 2009. It includes research published in 2009, whereas the latest IPCC report only includes information from up to about 2005. http://climatecongress.ku.dk/pdf/synthesisreport

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

The UNFCCC is the framework under which governments negotiate about what to do to address climate change. The official website lists full details of the meeting agendas, side events and information for journalists. It also has draft negotiating texts, live video streams of the negotiations when they are in session and on-demand video coverage of past sessions. To request interviews with UNFCCC officials, email: press@unfccc.int. When requesting an interview, please indicate which media organization you represent and submit a brief list of questions to be answered. www.unfccc.int 

UNFCCC National Focal Points

The list of National Focal Points provides contact details of representatives of the countries that are party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. http://maindb.unfccc.int/public/nfp.pl

Earth Negotiations Bulletin

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) is a balanced, timely and independent reporting service that provides daily information in print and electronic formats from multilateral negotiations on environment and development. The ENB team attends the UNFCCC climate change negotiations and reports daily on the meetings themselves and on the many side events that take place. Journalists can sign up to receive these reports for free by email. http://www.iisd.ca/climate/cop13/

Climate Action Network’s daily ECO Bulletin

The Climate Action Network (CAN) is a worldwide network of over 450 non-governmental organizations working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels. CAN members attend the UN climate change negotiations and publish a daily bulletin called ECO which exposes barriers to progress and proposes ways forward. http://climatenetwork.org/climate-change-basics/by-meeting/eco

Third World Network

This non-governmental organisation attends the UN climate change negotiations and publishes informative and authoritative briefing papers and news updates that shine a light on the perspectives of developing nations. http://www.twnside.org.sg/

Climate-L

The International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Climate-L email list is a news and announcement list service that focuses on the climate change policy and issues. Postings include breaking climate news, announcements of workshops/conferences, job listings, and information on new publications and online resources. You can subscribe for free at www.iisd.ca/email/climate-l.htm 

Climate Change Media Partnership’s Roster of Experts

This document (published in November 2008) contains the contact details of climate change experts who are willing to talk to journalists. It includes scientists, NGO staff, community leaders, policy advisors and others from around the world. The document was created by the Climate Change Media Partnership, set up by Internews, Panos and the International Institute for Environment and Development to support journalists who report on climate change. The partnership will publish a new edition in 2009. http://www.iied.org/pubs/display.php?o=G02509

SciDev.Net

The Science and Development Network (SciDev.Net) has a Climate Change and Energy Gateway, which brings together news and features articles, background analysis and opinion that highlight the important aspects of this challenge. SciDev.Net also has a topic gateway on Science Communication, which includes articles and practical guides aimed at journalists covering climate change and other science stories.

http://www.scidev.net/en/climate-change-and-energy/

Access to climate-change research through publishers and press release agencies

A number of publishers give free online access to journals and news alerts to journalists, including:

• Elsevier: offer free access to both ScienceDirect (its online journal platform) and Scopus (abstracts of all research articles, including those from other publishers, since 1986) and offer bi-weekly alerts to latest research. Accredited journalists should send an email to newsroom@elsevier.com to apply for free access, or go to the Elsevier website to sign up at http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/newsroom.newsroom/research
• Wiley-Blackwell: To receive Wiley-Blackwell news alerts or receive access to journal content on Wiley Interscience (Wiley Blackwell's online journal platform) go to http://www.wiley.com/bw/press/request_center.asp and provide your full contact information.
• Oxford University Press: Once Oxford University Press has revamped the media section of its website (http://www.oxfordjournals.org/), journalists will be able to request/register online for press access to journals published by Oxford University Press and sign up for OUP press releases (1 or 2 a month, breaking news). However, in the intervening period, journalists should contact helen.ison@oup.com to request access, providing information on their credentials.
• Nature: The Nature Press Office provides a service whereby press releases and content details of forthcoming Nature and the Nature Research Journal papers are emailed to journalists one week before the publication date. Nature also distributes press releases for other Nature Publishing Group journals on an ad-hoc basis (see Publications A-Z index on the www.nature.com website for a full list of publication titles).  All press releases are put onto Nature's password protected web site. Journalists can access the press site once they have registered free of charge, and can download the scientific papers in the issue and any additional information such as accompanying photographs and News and Views articles. To register with Nature, go to http://press.nature.com and follow the links for new registrants. There is also an archive of past Nature issues on the main Nature website at http://www.nature.com/index.html where some articles are free (there will be a little icon next to the paper link). If there is a specific article that you need from the archive that you cannot view, email the Press Office - press@nature.com - who will be happy to send it to you. To sign up for access to embargoed releases, Nature asks for accreditation; staff journalists need to send a letter signed by an editor and freelances need to send three by-lined clippings from the last 6-months (which can be links, so long as the articles are not behind a subscription wall).
• Springer: offers accredited science and medical journalists free access to relevant content on upon request.  A monthly newsletter, the content of which is primarily scientific discovery from Springer journals, is also sent out once a month to those that subscribe. To sign up for the newsletter, visit - http://www.springer-sbm.com/index.php?id=212&L=0. Accredited journalists who would like to request access to SpringerLink should send an email to: corporate-communications@springer.com

Journalists can also subscribe to press release services from EurekAlert (www.eurekalert.org), AlphaGalileo (www.alphagalileo.org) and ResearchSEA (www.researchsea.com).

Climate Change Blogs and News Sites

Another way to stay up to date about climate change is to see what journalists and bloggers are writing. Recommended sources include DeSmog Blog (www.desmogblog.com), RealClimate (www.realclimate.org), Climate Feedback (www.tinyurl.com/ynon3r), Andrew Revkin at The New York Times (www.tinyurl.com/2zsunw), BBC Climate Change (www.tinyurl.com/2zemzr), Fiona Harvey at the Financial Times (www.tinyurl.com/29ckyp), AllAfrica.com climate (www.allafrica.com/climate), Nature Reports - climate change (www.tinyurl.com/22ykue), Cicero (www.tinyurl.com/2bxw5j), SciDev.Net (www.scidev.net/climate), Tiempo Newswatch (www.tinyurl.com/ys43kd) and The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/climate-change).


This list was compiled by Mike Shanahan at the International Institute for Environment and Development (mike.shanahan@iied.org)

Produced for Reporting About Climate Change Workshop - 29 June 2009

Co-sponsored by UNESCO and UK National Commission for UNESCO