Circle of Blue Fellowship Program: Reporting Water Inequality In A Changing Climate

Are you an early career journalist with passion and experience reporting on environmental and water justice? 

Apply for Circle of Blue’s new fellowship program! 

The burdens of pollution and environmental risk are not evenly distributed. The aftermath of nearly every contamination crisis or severe storm reveals that low-income communities and communities of color face higher risks and have fewer resources to respond. Water is often at the center of these stories.

To build on the cumulative storytelling model, Circle of Blue is looking to welcome an up-and-coming journalist, photojournalist or multimedia journalist with experience writing on environmental justice and social inequality as a reporting fellow, covering water inequality in a changing climate in the United States.  

As a Circle of Blue fellow, you’ll receive a stipend of $7,000, editorial guidance, access to Circle of Blue’s network of experts, and more. 

Applications are due February 15, 2022. Learn more about the fellowship requirements and apply here. 

What’s Up With Water — January 24, 2022

Featured coverage from this week's episode of What's Up With Water looks at: 

• In Syria, a strategically important dam that was supposed to be protected from airstrikes was in fact the target of a U.S. bombing campaign during the war against Islamic State.
• In the United States, the rising cost of water in one major American city is hurting people of color.
• In the United Kingdom, water companies are again under scrutiny for improperly handling wastewater.

HotSpots H2O: As Dust Settles in Tonga After Volcanic Eruption, Drinking Water Now the ‘Biggest Life-Saving Issue’

Five days after a volcanic eruption and tsunami, the Pacific island nation of Tonga has the look of an antique photograph.

Its tropical vegetation, once vibrant in the spray of the sea, is covered in a layer of ash. Tree trunks lie defeated on the forest floor. Building debris litters the landscape, a sepia painting of detritus and upturned roots.

On Sunday afternoon, just 40 miles off its coast, a powerful undersea eruption shook the country — exploding, scientists estimate, with the force of hundreds of Hiroshima bombs. The impact sent 50-foot waves smashing against the archipelago’s small islands while nearly 400,000 lightning bolts crackled overhead in the 12 hours after the eruption.

Now that the dust has settled, drinking water is the top concern.

Volcanic ash, along with ocean water from the tsunami, has polluted the drinking water of tens of thousands of people.

The United Nations has called drinking water the “biggest life-saving issue” on the islands. Red Cross officials warn that public health issues could soon follow.

Donate to Circle of Blue | Forward to a Friend | More Water News at Circle of Blue

Circle of Blue | 800 Cottageview Drive, Suite 1042 | Traverse City, MI 49684 | US +1.231.941-1355