Project
Countdown Earth: How to resolve the climate and biodiversity crisis!
RiffReporter – die Genossenschaft für freien Journalismus e.G. / the Free Journalism Collective
Project
Countdown Earth: How to resolve the climate and biodiversity crisis!
RiffReporter – die Genossenschaft für freien Journalismus e.G. / the Free Journalism Collective
Profile
Organisation/Company
RiffReporter – die Genossenschaft für freien Journalismus e.G. / the Free Journalism Collective
Project name
Countdown Earth: How to resolve the climate and biodiversity crisis!
Project period
June 2023 – August 2024
Project gallery
Project partner
The name RiffReporter is synonymous with independent, high-quality journalism, fairness and strict adherence to facts – all of which are part of its journalistic code of conduct. RiffReporter’s lively, professional work has already earned the organisation the Umwelt Media Prize, Grimme Online Award and #Netzwende Prize. www.riffreporter.de offers its readers a wide variety of well researched journalism on scientific, societal, cultural, environmental and technological topics, written by professional freelance authors who work for major newspapers, magazines and broadcasting companies.
Project description
The project “Countdown Earth: How to resolve the climate and biodiversity crisis!” aims to use high-quality, expert scientific journalism to educate the general public about the significance of the twin crises of climate change and the extinction of species, and to offer inspiration and ideas on how to deal with the crises proactively:
The purpose of the project is to raise public awareness of the significance of self-efficacy and political participation, even in times of serious crisis. A team of around 11 professional investigative journalists will present their findings in an accessible, understandable way with the aid of solution-oriented journalistic methods. The project was initiated because the urgently needed change in society, politics and industry as a reaction to the ever-increasing severity of the twin crises appears to be stagnating.
Project status
Projekt Riffreporter Dezember 2022
UN Conference COP 15 in Montreal hailed as a success: https://www.riffreporter.de/de/umwelt/biodiversitaet-cop15-montreal-abkommen-inhalte-was-steht-drin-naturschutz
Thomas Krumenacker was on the spot on behalf of Countdown Natur: https://www.riffreporter.de/de/umwelt/biodiversitaet-cop15-naturschutz-montreal-wissenschaft-ipbes-sandra-diaz
Projekt Riffreporter November 2022
Climate summit COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh – With its “Biodiversity Day”, the climate summit COP27 backs a global environmental protection agreement. The objectives of the Paris Agreement of 2015 cannot be achieved without environmental protection.
Projekt Riffreporter Oktober 2022
Since summer 2022, other media have at last thankfully also discovered the major issue of biodiversity and the imminent UN Conference COP15. In part, this can be directly attributed to the influence of Countdown Natur – as mentioned in an editorial comment in the reputable German newspaper “Süddeutsche Zeitung” on 30.09.2022. We also know that other media are now using “Countdown Natur” as a source for their own reporting. Since its inception, Countdown Natur’s has developed a clear profile as the biodiversity project in the field of German-language journalism. Its output rivals that of the only other comparable project worldwide – the Guardian’s “Age of extinction” – whose resources are many times larger.
Projekt Riffreporter Oktober 2022
Scientific topics – for example, an interview with renowned climate researcher Hans-Otto Pörtner and an up-to-the-minute report on the latest information about the extent of the species crisis and, as an absolute highlight, Joachim Budde’s thoroughly researched résumé of what has (and hasn’t) happened in the fields of research and politics in the five years since the publication of the world-famous “Krefeld Study”. One of the most significant current environmental disasters of the summer, the mass die-off of millions of fish in the River Oder as a combined result of excess warmth, toxins and the invasion of a non-indigenous type of algae, was also comprehensively covered. One of the contributions providing background and context was an interview with the Klement Tockner, Director-General of the Frankfurter Senckenberg-Gesellschaft, who is a limnologist by profession.
Projekt Riffreporter Juni 2022
Countdown Natur was able to report exclusively in advance on core developments in the two-year wrangling about where and when the World Biodiversity Summit would be staged – on 14.06., no other German-speaking media (or international media, for that matter) broke the news that the event had been postponed again and that China was no longer insisting on Kunming as the venue. There were also exclusive statements by CBD Executive Secretary Mrema and German ministers Lemke and Schulze. The decision that the Summit would take place in Canada in December was finally announced on 20.06. (which was otherwise only reported by the Guardian at the same time as Countdown Natur).