Reno Reporter

An award-winning environmental journalist will appear at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) on Sept. 8 to discuss his career and climate change.

Andrew Revkin wrote for the New York Times for 21 years and now heads Columbia University's Climate School. There, he "runs programs and webcasts aimed at making information matter through better use of evolving online communication tools," according to a news release from UNR. He will share with the audience the lessons he learned throughout his career about conservation reporting within the community.

Revkin said his career has led him to believe there are things you can change about the climate and things that you cannot, and understanding the difference was critical to his career.

"As you get older, you think about your mortality more," he said in the news release. "It's kind of a bummer to say, 'Climate change reminds me of mortality.' I began to accept the aspects of the challenge that are beyond politics, beyond technology."

Revkin is known in media circles for his conversations with Megyn Kelly, Newt Gingrich, and Bill Gates, the news release noted. He hopes that he can strike the right chord when it comes to how to best cover the topic of climate change in the media without interjecting his own bias.  

"When I look at the climate issue and climate coverage, the simplest way to avoid the mistake of balance as bias is to stop and look at the story you're writing," he said.

"Sustainability" has become a media buzzword lately, according to the news release, but Revkin asks, "Sustain what? For whom? How?"

"Change the things you can change, accept the things you can't, and know the difference," he said. "Science can help you know the difference. Science and innovation can help you change the things you can change. But, there are things that are just going to play out. That's where I’ve come in my journey."

Revkin has written books that were adapted for film.