CIJ Climate Investigations Course

The Centre for Investigative Journalism is today announcing the launch of a new training programme covering all aspects of deep investigative research into climate change and its causes – The CIJ Climate Investigations Course.

At the CIJ, we have spent the past three years working to improve the quantity and quality of climate investigations across the world. Our Open Climate Reporting Initiative has taught practical investigative skills to over 700 journalists across 58 countries. Check out our global footprints here.

In the process of delivering this work, through discussions on investigative practice with experts and by listening to the needs of our participants, we have built a comprehensive curriculum of training. We are now aiming to bring the benefits of this experience to journalists and researchers everywhere.

We have convened a world-class training team to deliver 23 hours of uniquely positioned training. Our work in delivering climate-focused content across three continents over the past year ensures that our course is informed by a truly global perspective.

In keeping with our central mission, we are making it available more affordably than any other equivalent training programme. It is designed to provoke and inspire commissionable stories.

We are doing this because the Climate Crisis is here.

The wildfires currently raging across California are only the latest in a long line of visible impacts from a catastrophe that began several decades ago. While journalists need to get on the ground, interview those affected and document these tragedies, it is abundantly clear that this alone is not enough.

As the crisis unfolds around us, it is crucial that journalists keep in mind the nature of this emergency. It is not merely a series of discrete disasters, a natural phenomenon, nor the cruel acts of a vengeful god.

This is a crisis that stems from the decisions, actions and inactions of people and the organisations they work for and run.

The climate crisis is a subject that demands urgent investigation. 

Just as with conflicts, state repression or corporate corruption there are perpetrators, profiteers and swathes of criminal negligence. There are people and corporations who must be held to account and in many cases it is up to investigative journalists to perform this task.

This new training will provide the tools to do this.

There is one other element of the climate crisis that is worth remembering – one that underlines the urgency of the need for investigative journalism.

The slow-motion nature of the situation makes it difficult to investigate, but it also means that we must act now if we are to have any impact. An instance of corruption can be investigated after the fact. The people involved can be held to account, fined, jailed or removed from office. Laws and regulations can be changed, loopholes closed, to prevent it from happening again. But if the objective of journalistic impact for climate investigations is to prevent it from reoccurring, then we will already be too late.

This means that investigative impact is particularly difficult to achieve – it will require diligence and persistence, but it also presents an incredible opportunity. Rarely in journalism do we see the prospect of making positive change before the very worst consequences have come to pass.

As far as we are aware the Climate Investigations Course is a unique offering. 23 hours of teaching on industry-leading expertise from practitioners at the highest levels. Any near equivalents would cost more in both fees and time commitment by orders of magnitude.

Modules covered:
Climate investigation Fundamentals – 27,28 March. AM – 5hrs of training
Data-Driven Climate Investigations – 14-17 April. AM – 6hrs of training
Investigating Climate Finance – 12-15 May. PM – 6hrs of training
ECOSINT: Environmental & Climate Open-Source Intelligence – 3-6 June. AM –  6hrs of training

Flexibility is built into the programme. You can take any combination of these modules, or sign up for the full course and get a 20% discount on the overall fee, plus a CIJ Climate Investigations Certificate.

The course is designed to help participants identify impactful investigative stories and refine their work on these projects as they progress through the modules, ensuring that they graduate the course with not only a wealth of new skills to apply to their research, but also with solid plans for investigations, ready for pitching and publication.

There are excellent climate journalism courses out there, but none have the specific focus on practical, hands-on investigative skills that you will find in ours.