Medill reporters wrap up fall News21 stories as Obama picks green leaders

President-elect Barack Obama selected Nobel laureate Steven Chu to direct the Energy Department today as Medill News21 reporters wrap up their fall coverage. Chu, a physicist who heads the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, supports alternative energy fuels and research as a critical response to global warming. He faces a daunting job. National security risks from global warming and the energy and economic impacts of climate change anchored Medill’s News21 coverage this fall.

Medill reporter Erica Peterson looked at the risks climate change poses to different areas of the world, and created a timeline tracking the development of FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal-fueled power plant proposed for Illinois.

Stories focus on a climate change conference held in Wisconsin that gathered together leading scientists to discuss the latest research on abrupt and dramatic climate shifts. Kahrin Deines looks at an innovative machine that can capture carbon dioxide from the air, potentially halting global warming.

A new interactive graphic, “U.S. Climate Science Funding” shows how U.S. government budgets for climate research dropped even as concerns about impacts have been rapidly rising.

Environmental concerns played a vital role in the election, both on the national and state levels. To measure the election’s meaning for the environment, Medill reporters Ryan Mark and Brian Boyer created an enviroVOTE green meter. The green meter followed the results of nearly 500 gubernatorial and Congressional races in real time on election eve to show a 19 percent increase in eco-friendly lawmakers.

A corps of Medill reporters also contributed to Medill’s News21 election night coverage with blogs, describing the celebrations that ensued in Chicago’s Grant Park as Barack Obama’s supporters celebrated his election with peaceful elation.

To see our new fall stories, check out the new section on Medill’s News21 site called “Post-election – Changing Visions.”