Tonight, covering the climate crisis as world leaders convene in New York for claimant week, we post the threat -- see the threat posed by cream weather across the country, the emerging solutions, and the journalists playing a vital role in facing this emergency.

Trip "MetroFocus" starts now.

>> This is "MetroFocus," with Rafael Pi Roman, Jack Ford, and Jenna Flanagan.

MetroFocus is made possible by The Peter G. Peterson and Joan Ganz Cooney Fund.

Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation.

Barbara Hope Zuckerberg.

And by Jody and John Arnhold.

Bernard and Denise Schwartz.

Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn foundation.

The Ambrose Monell Foundation.

Estate of Roland Karlen.

Estate of Worthington Smith.

Good evening and welcome to MetroFocus, I am Jack Ford.

This week is claimant week in New York City, an annual event bring a tremendous attention to the impact of climate change around the world.

On Wednesday, the United Nations convened a summit with a focus on getting government and businesses to accelerate action on climate before it is too late.

While leaders from around the world gather here to talk about the climate crisis, and protesters marched to demand an end to the -- fossil fuels, we want to focus on the critical role that journalism plays as the world faces this climate emergency.

With us as part of our peril and promise initiative are three journalists reporting from the front lines of the karmic crisis.

-- climate crisis.

They received several awards announced earlier this week for climate.

♪ >> Journalists doing the best reporting on the biggest story of our time.

While the world battles record he, fires, drought, and floods, this year's covering climate now award winners help people understand what is happening.

And how to fix it.

The shocking delay and denial by governments, and companies.

The injustice of trout start children in Somalia.

The urgency in Pakistan.

A third of the country underwater.

>> We are standing here fighting against that system which is like a puppet of the crisis.

>> The activists and front-line communities demanding change.

Citizens blocking a company from leveling a village for the coal beneath it.

Lawyers suing fossil fuel companies for their decades of disinformation.

An island state prime minister demanding biggest polluters pay for climate damages.

These award winners armed the public knowledge, hold data -- bad actors to account and light up at the survival.

For their incredible journalism, invaluable contributions, we salute the winners of the 2023 covering climate now journalism award.

Jack: Joining us now are Mark Halperin, an investigative journalist and winner of the short video award or his seven part series on how counties across the country are impacted by climate change, and what they're doing about it.

Also joining us, Cameron Ogilvie, winner of the student journalist of the world for multifaceted work exploring environmental impact on black and indigenous communities.

And also Eileen Brown, winner of the multimedia award for her reporting on how prison populations are put at risk by claimant advance and extreme weather where -- climate events and extreme weather.

Congratulations on these well-deserved awards for the important work you have been doing.

I want to talk with each of you about your specific projects.

Marco, I'm going to start with you if I can.

It was very interesting what you did, because you took a broad look, as I mentioned in the introduction, counties across the country.

Why did you take that approach, what were you hoping to get from it?

>> As Tip O'Neill said, all politics is local, and if we can distill these global targets -- topics into something where readers know how it is affecting them, they are much more likely to have a buy in for that.

They are much more likely to pay attention.

And we send out a survey to every county in America in all cities over 50,000 people and asked these questions that we had crafted with climate researchers to get at how the climate is affecting them, and the responses were so nuanced, so varied that it told us that we needed to tell the story not just one story for the nation, but how can we relate this to all of our communities?

We have markets in Boston, Orlando and Sacramento, but in the deep South, Savannah Georgia, Arkansas, how do you tell the story that resonates in all those different communities?

That is how we approach this.

Jack: And the genius of that is it affects people very differently across different regions, and that is certainly why he won this award.

I'm going to toss to a quick clip he or from a bite from the first video where you hear from a Louisiana man whose home was destroyed by rising sea levels.

Take a quick look at this.

>> For 13 years, these stairs led Wayne to his Louisiana home.

Now, they lead to ruin.

>> This is home.

All my nephews stuff.

All my stuff.

It's hard breaking, man.

Saying everything that you work for.

Look at it.

>> Hurricane Ida blew away the heart from the family home, searching floodwaters in and leaving mold, collapsed ceilings and washtub dreams.

>> Everything flooded.

>> Do you believe that climate change played a role in the destruction of your home?

>> We have not seem storms get the strong.

It's like it's getting progressively worse.

>> Worse for his wife and kids and worse for this small neighborhood where hurricane Ida destroyed nine of the 11 homes.

Increasing severe weather has now come for this family twice.

>> My grandmother and then lived here all her life, Katrina took her house.

>> Your grandmother lost her house Hurricane Katrina and you have left your house to hurricane Ida.

>> What does that say to you?

>> Something has to be done.

Jack: You talk to so many people, so many different regions and areas, my question is, we see images often of receiving shorelines, disappearance, what did you learn about the human impact of climate change based on your work here?

Sometimes we get deluded by the impact, we hear scientists and preachers -- researchers say by 2040, or if we go up by this amount that is going to happen.

It's not going to happen in 2050.

It's happening now, whether Hoboken that is creating parks to take in stormwater because there -- they are flooding communities, Texas communities trying to see clouds to get more moisture because the tap -- drought is so intense, extreme wildfires in Colorado.

This is happening now in that piece you just played we went to the very southern piece of Louisiana, where the coastline has already receded.

And that is impacting homeowners now.

It is not theoretical, in a study, it is affecting people and displacing people now.

>> You talk a few moments ago about how you went about gathering this information.

I was fascinated by how you went about then dispersing it.

You essentially went to local markets, you trusted local anchors delivering the results of this to their local communities, what is your -- why did you decide on that?

>> Local news is still the most trusted source of news.

We did not want to do just one style of story, one story across the country, what we did in said, what happened nationally is that we set this to our investigative unit but gave all of our stations and markets in all the states data from this survey, here is how communities in California responded, communities in New Mexico responded.

The stations could then take out those examples that we sent in the survey data and say in this community this is happening.

Here's what is being done now with these initiatives, or as we saw in Ohio, school districts saying that they need to fortify their campuses, they don't have the money to do so.

With this impact of changing climate.

We did not want one-size-fits-all.

We had this data from across the country, let's use it and tell stories in a local manner.

>> We talk about the stories in the different people you talk to, I'm curious about what you found in those conversations.

This is a general question that does not lend itself to a specific answer, but you oftentimes hear some people in response to these questions and issues will say look, this is the natural course of human nature, others will say no there is a problem and we can and will -- should do something.

What were you finding in terms of the variety of responses from subjects in your conversations?

>> It is hard to deny the existence of something when your neighbors are facing it, when your grandmother lost her home in a hurricane and 16 years later you now lost your home.

We did not focus on whether climate change is real, we never even used the phrase.

We talked about it changing climate, we don't want our viewers, listeners and readers to be turned off by some phrase that might be a trigger for somebody in certain communities.

Instead, we focus on reality, what is happening out, what can we show you now, what are communities doing now, how much is it costing now, those are things that you cannot argue with.

They're in your community and your neighborhood.

Jack: That's fascinating, reinforcing the words that we use mattering.

Let me jump to the others here, the other award winners.

Cameron, I will come to you.

Again, congratulations to you, student journalists, congratulations for your graduation from Duke.

Let me ask about your project.

Yeah a couple things like garnering the support dashboard.

-- you have a couple things that garnered this award.

Navajo lands being used to generate power for the city of Los Angeles.

I did not know that, and why is that happening?

Talk about how you found that story and what you found as a consequence of the work that you did.

>> I do want to start off in highlighting the importance of this story, not just for the not have an -- the Navajo nations with the many indigenous tribes in terms of historical disinvestment in energy resources, infrastructure, water, talking about communities I've interacted with not just out West but in North Carolina and Virginia.

And the importance of this piece in my mind was using the specific example of an indigenous community and tribe that has for so long provided for the surrounding cities and communities without really receiving that infrastructure investment themselves, the hypocrisy of that.

And we see -- as we see this transition to renewable energy, noting that it seems that these communities continue to greet taken from and take it from whether then this investment.

That was sort of the larger touch point of the piece, I came across it as I was reporting on a bunch of different environmental issues and I had seen -- >> We've all been there, all of a sudden something jumped out and your reaction is well.

Why didn't I know about that and why does not everybody met -- else know about that.

>> I had seen some reporting from news outlets out West, it was about the Navajo generation station being closed down.

People were talking about the double standard that existed on Navajo lands, with regard to their closing down this station that has given a lot of people jobs and provided these communities energy because they want to transition to renewables but they are not investing in that community.

I had not seen that touch point.

That is why I decided to go further.

Jack: Tell us how that works, because I saw as a consequence of some of your research and reporting that there are something like 15 or 16,000 Navajo homes that do not have power and get how is what could otherwise be dedicated to them making its weight to Los Angeles?

How does that happen?

>> I'm going to speak about this in a more larger scale, I suppose, the idea that historically, the way that infrastructure and energy infrastructure and water infrastructure, all these essential services, have not been placed in certain communities has been an inherently extractive of black, indigenous, communities.

The logistics of it is that historically, they saw this location as an excellent place to extract energy resources out of and produce energy in a way that honestly has historically caused harm to many of the communities in the area.

As a result of systemic racism and environmental racism, while refusing to reinvest those resources back into the community, I know that that is a large answer but I want to keep it large and the fact that again that this is not the only a community and the only black or indigenous community contending with this, I wanted to serve as a larger example of the hypocrisy that exists regarding environment racism and energy justice.

>> And that requires and deserves a large answer.

Thank you for that.

I want to mention one other project, you had a couple that were part of this that generated this award.

In another PCU explored the idea of what is called intersectional environmentalism, I suspect a lot of phones, even those who are actively engaged in studying this and being concerned might not understand that concept, explain it to us.

>> That is a good question, I -- the term intersectional environmentalism is one that was technically coined in 2020, or it was popularized in 2020, and it is a directory action as the piece highlights to be environmental -- the environmental movement, the Sierra Club and traditionalist presidents -- presidents as Teddy Roosevelt, the movement that many people in environmental spaces aspire to, has historically left out communities of color and environmental justice issues, issues of pollution, intersectional environmentalism in my research is the young person's version of environmental justice, the article really dives into this idea, environmental justice and climate justice and intersectional environmentalism, they are all movements that have been created in 20 year increments in direct response to the environment movement failing communities of color.

>> As an adjunct to that, it's sort of part of what you asked way to us, tell us about what you have found in terms of the generational divide here as people are looking and recognizing the existence of the problem and getting on board with the notion that something needs to be done.

What are we seeing here in terms of the generational movement.

>> I did not pick that title, and that actually got a lot of attention on twitter for the fact that it is less of a generational rift and it really gets back to that idea that for some reason every new generation, whether it is Gen Xers or millennials creating climate justice and Gen Z creating intersectional environmentalism, the rift is more so in this idea that the environmental movement has failed.

It is of color and people feel the need to redirect.

They need to create additional terminology and additional focuses that attempt to bridge the divide between environment till justice as a concept and the environmental movement as what is honestly the prevailing movement for environmental action in this country and around the world.

I know I kind of repeating myself, but there is less of a divide.

People are drawing inspiration from the movements of our elders, from environments of justice, when they created intersectional environmentalism, but they felt the need to create something new because something is not clicking in the larger space.

And we are trying to fix those problems, that is the focus of the piece.

Jack: Fabulous piece.

Eileen, Tia, thank you for sitting patiently while we have these conversations.

I want to talk to you a little bit about your award-winning work.

Somewhat similarly to what Cameron has been talking about, you have been focusing on the most vulnerable, but in your project, it's called the intercept, you are at not just a geographic area but a situational scenario if we could.

Explain to us the project, intercept, where did the idea come from and what were you hoping to show?

>> It was called climate and punishment and it was published in the intercept.

The reporting partner mapped the locations of more than 6500 jails, prisons, detention facilities across the U.S. against various climate impacts.

He risked, wildfire risk, flood risk, just to see how any facilities were facing climate impacts as the crisis deepened.

And what we found was that right now, today, thousands of facilities are facing really serious risks and really serious impact in the moment.

And the crisis is forced to become much worse.

As an example, we found that more than a third of the detention facilities in the U.S. are in areas that have historically had more than 50 days a year with heat indexes above 90 degrees, enough to make people dealing with health issues sick.

That will go from one third of detention facilities to three quarters of the facilities across the U.S.. No prison today is located in a county with more than 50 days a year at 105 degrees, by 2100, almost 70 facilities -- 70% will be at that level.

44 states in the U.S. like universal air conditioning, including New York.

This is not an issue that is specific to the south.

Research has shown that -- research has tied mortality rates in the Northeast to heat.

For people in prisons, your risk of death increases on extreme heat days.

Especially if you're in part of the country where love facilities are not prepared for heat.

And in places where people's bodies are not committed to heat.

>> Let me ask you about this, coverage of the issues.

We are all journalists, our job is to shine a light on issues, getting people to better understand them and watch and listen and read what we do and say.

Say I did not know that and I do now, and maybe now I can join in or Sunday has to do something about that.

That is a preface.

Based on what you just talked about, if I'm thinking of media coverage, let's talk about the stretch of horrendous weather that we had this summer, the unbelievable high heat levels, I'm just try to think of you, off the top of my head, I see stories about hospitals dealing with the heat, senior citizens, how schools are dealing with it.

I don't recall seeing anything that says and here is how the detention centers or the federal prisons or state prisons or county jails, here is how they are dealing with it and they are having real problems.

Why do you think, Eileen, thank -- based on all of your researcher, based on that specific situational concern, that does not get as much exposure?

>> I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that these are people who have been systematically devalued by society.

These are people that have been deemed criminals.

That, you know, society has decided that these people did harm and that they are probably incarcerated because they deserve it.

The fact is that at Rikers for example, New York City jails, a lot of the people incarcerated there have not even been convicted of their crimes as they deal with really inhumane heat conditions.

>> It's an enormous number, at least half maybe more, they are just awaiting the disposition from their case, they have not been adjudicated by criminals -- Eskimos, they just can't PayPal enter sitting there.

>> And more than half of New York City jails, I believe more than half of the population of New York City jails do not have or are not in an air-conditioned facility.

I think that there is also this idea that something like air conditioning is a luxury when as I mentioned it is really not just about comfort but safety.

People are dying, and not being counted as having died because of heat related issues.

But people are dying because of the heat in these facilities.

Our prisons and jails are not supposed to be places where cruel and unusual punishment takes place.

But when you are, you know, lying in these really extreme heat situations, it is hard to argue that it is not cruel and unusual punishment, and there are a couple of judges who have ruled that it is in some cases.

And I think another issue is that we are so unprepared across the board for the deepening climate crisis, for these wildfires and hurricanes that are hitting communities so hard.

One of the reasons why incarcerated populations are some of the most vulnerable is because they are going to be the last on the list that people are worried about.

That's not to say that people who are from their communities and communities of prisoners, which are disproportionately black and brown communities, are certainly noticing that their loved ones are facing really serious risks.

>> I got a minute left here, these have all been fascinating stories that you have all done.

So deserving of award.

Mark, let me ask you a quick question, it's not fair that I ask this bigot a question.

Are you at all optimistic that we as a nation and a society are starting to get it and understand some of the things that you have all reported and understanding is the first step towards rectifying?

>> I think so with this caveat.

Just as the newspapers crime and other subjects, climate has to be there as well.

What have seen with Cameron and Eileen and our units is that there is original compelling enterprising climate journalism that can be done to put a spotlight on how this is affecting our communities right now.

It's real and it's here and we have to do with it.

Jack: I want to offer my congratulations to all of you, I'm so pleased that you have been recognized for the quality of the work that you were doing and it is essential work that needs to be done for all of us.

My thanks, on behalf of all of us to the three of you for the good work you have done, and so many good people who are doing that.

It is so much for joining us and keep up the good work and hopefully we will get a chance to talk with you again soon.

Be well.

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> ♪ thank you.

♪>> You could take our award-winning program with you wherever you go with MetroFocus the podcast.

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Also available at metrofocus.org, W L I W.org/radio, and on the NPR one app.

MetroFocus is made possible by The Peter G. Peterson and Joan Ganz Cooney Fund.

Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation.

Barbara Hope Zuckerberg.

And by Jody and John Arnhold.

Bernard and Denise Schwartz.

Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn foundation.

The Ambrose Monell Foundation.

Estate of Roland Karlen.

Estate of Worthington Mayor Smith.