Environmental journalism in Australia and New Zealand

[Extract:] Australian and New Zealand environmental journalism differs over the political will to address climate change. While Australia’s conservative Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, famously held up a large lump of coal up in parliament – declaring don’t be afraid, don’t be scared, it won’t hurt you…It’s coal! (Hamilton, 2017). Across the ditch in New Zealand, Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern asserts climate change “is the challenge that defines my generation…my generation’s nuclear free moment” (Trevett, 2017). The political shenanigans that are Australia’s climate policy means journalists, and especially environmental journalists, need a strong working knowledge of both the environmental and political landscapes. While New Zealand increasingly engages in the indigenous and Pacific practice of ‘talanoa journalism’ (talking together to find solutions), Australia remains nostalgic for the era of coal