Advancing Climate Communication
Our Mission
We empower journalists and other communicators to tell stories about climate change. We do that through training that amplifies science, elevates communities, and engages audiences.
The Annenberg Approach
Communication is
our specialty
Our work is situated within a world-class journalism and communication school at an R1 research university.
Training is
our priority
We focus on the application of research to support journalists, communication professionals, and students in the advancement of their climate-related work.
Community is our core
Training Opportunities
The Center for Climate Journalism and Communication works with organizations of all sizes to provide training that enhances journalists’ climate literacy and climate reporting skills.
Certification
Certificate in Sustainability Communication
A first-of-its-kind certificate program designed to support professionals from various backgrounds who wish to include more climate change narratives and storytelling in their work.
Our next session begins in September 2026
Sign up now to become a certified climate communicator!
Fellowship
Health and Climate Change Reporting Fellowship
USC Annenberg’s Center for Health Journalism and Center for Climate Journalism and Communication welcomes journalists to apply for its inaugural reporting fellowship focused on the intersection of the environment, public health, and the Los Angeles fires. This weeklong program on USC’s campus will introduce participants to leading experts across disciplines and will advance ethical reporting in climate disaster zones.
Training
Media Training for
Climate Communicators
The Center also offers communications training online and in USC Annenberg’s state-of-the-art media facilities to equip climate experts of all kinds, including scientists and other researchers, to tell the biggest story of our time.
Best practices for
Climate Journalists
Sessions on topics ranging from climate science to ethical AI, for groups small and large.
Bespoke Sessions
Addressing regional or thematic issues and delivered upon demand.
Electric Futures Podcast
Season one, Electric Futures: Lithium Valley (2024), explores narratives from the Imperial Valley in Southern California, an area rich with community – and critical minerals – on the brink of an energy transformation so big, it could completely change the lives of residents. The second season, Electric Futures: Your Community, Electrified (2025), focuses on the Shadow Mountain community in San Bernardino County, where residents are trying to build an energy-independent community that could serve as a model for the future. My Story is a Climate Story (2026) is a special season that explores the aftermath of the devastating January wildfires that displaced more than 150,000 Los Angeles residents and reshaped entire communities.
Season three of Electric Futures, the USC energy transition podcast, takes listeners back to California’s Imperial Valley, a region explored throughout season one in connection with the county’s potential for lithium extraction. Plans for lithium extraction are stalled due to lawsuits and a new set of developers has come to town: hyperscalers. Host Charles Zukoski, the Robert E. Vivian Professor in Energy Resources and Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Biomedical Engineering, has been tracking the news since last summer, when word began to circulate that one of the largest data centers in the country might tap into the region’s rich geothermal resources.
Public Programs
Our online and in-person programs offer opportunities for students across disciplines to learn from the best climate communicators in the world.
Tom Steyer offers tips on making the climate war “Cheaper, Faster, Better”
On March 3, climate investor and former Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer joined USC Annenberg Dean Willow Bay and student panelists Anahita Mehra and Michael Kittilson for a
A Fresh Take on Climate Advocacy: Wise Words from the Iconic Jane Fonda
Recently, I have been sensing from my peers through conversations that climate change and climate activism has started to feel like “old news” to them. Being an active
Featured news
“Rising Above the Melt”
Earlier this month, documentary photographer and multimedia journalist from India, Avidha Raha, exhibited her 30-photo series ‘Rising Above the Melt’ at the USC Fisher Museum of Art. She is an Arts and Climate Grant Awardee, along with being a graduate
Electric Futures Season 3 Launches Episode 1 on April 9, 2026
The USC Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication is pleased to announce that Season 3, Episode 1 of the Electric Futures podcast, a series that explores the transition to greener energy, is dropping on April 9, 2026. This season,
Data Center Debates and American Democracy
Season 3 of Electric Futures looks at data centers and the impact they are having on communities. We focus on Imperial Valley where a large data center has been proposed. I come out of discussions about hyperscale data centers in
Sustainability breakthroughs at Viterbi: How AI and data are shaping the future
The USC Trojan Sustainability Network, in partnership with the USC Annenberg Center for Climate Journalism and Communication, is pleased to announce the next event in our TSN Talks series. This session will feature distinguished USC leaders who have contributed to
Insights
Through interdisciplinary partnerships with scientists, policymakers, and communication leaders, the Center provides unique insights and innovative strategies for more effective communication about the complexities of climate science, policy, and public opinion.
ESG Narratives and Social Media
Reporting regulations from the Securities and Exchange Commission will be finalized soon to address the comparability and reliability of corporate climate related disclosures — gain an enhanced understanding of the narratives — and narrators — gaining traction in the ESG conversation.
