Dataharvest-EIJC21

EU’s Green Deal is an ambitious plan to tackle climate change. But big emitters have already intensified their lobbying efforts and are trying to ride the wave of the EU’s just transition plan by presenting themselves as green businesses.

How much greenwashing has been done around the EU’s ambitious climate plan? The team of investigative journalists analysed the lobbying efforts by the gas industry that pushes for wider use of so-called blue hydrogen, which could ultimately endanger the EU’s plan to become climate neutral.

Join us for a discussion with journalists from the IRPI media to learn how they’ve investigated gas lobbyists and how you can do it in your country as well.

Read their stories on greenwashing HERE (in Italian).

Europe has pledged to cut almost all greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. That task is already hard enough - and Energy Charter Treaty that since the 1990s, guarantees foreign investors the right to sue states before international arbitration courts, makes it even harder. Today still, this mechanism is used by European companies to sue European states for billions of euros - and getting out of it doesn’t seem to be a foreseeable option.

Investigate Europe journalists zoomed into this complicated mechanism -join us to learn about what they found and how they crunched the data.

Read their investigations HERE.

Major airlines have pledged to cut emissions in half but 2050. Today, they state that they can reduce their carbon footprint quickly - while not reducing their flights - by supporting forest conservation projects they can offset emissions. But a joint investigation from Source Material, The Guardian and Unearthed has revealed that these promises rely on "phantom credits." Their investigation also suggests that "the current flagship system for offsetting emissions through avoided deforestation may not be fit for purpose."

Journalists behind the investigations have analysed 10 reduced deforestation offsetting projects relied on by major airlines as part of their emissions reduction pledges and certified by Verra, the biggest issuer of carbon credits in the world; they conducted satellite analysis of deforestation in and around projects backed by major carriers, examined project documentation, interviewed multiple leading experts, and commissioned on-the-ground reporting. They'll share their findings and methodology with us. Join us if you want to learn how the carbon offsetting system works and learn how you can successfully analyse offsetting documents without being intimidated by complicated equations and bureaucratic language.

Are you're looking for a topic for your next big investigation? For this year's Dataharvest climate edition, we have partnered with the European Climate Foundation, to provide you with background information and an overview of timely topics of European relevance worth looking into.

Three experts will brief you on three different topics (land use and deforestation, use of hydrogen in housing and transportation); will provide you with useful information on where to find important datasets and sources and give you the opportunity to "ask them anything."

The 3-week Dataharvest Digital is over - now await Pop-Up sessions and a series of masterclasses in the autumn. All covered in your ticket!
After 2 years online, we trust that we can meet again in Mechelen in 2022 - we will announce the dates!
And then we wish you all a nice long summer while we fight our way away from the virus.
Bring a drink and toast for journalism!