Aman Azhar
Washington, D.C. 20024
LinkedIn • 202.812.1477 • amanazhar.com
Climate change and global warming are best understood as socio-political and techno-scientific challenges, necessitating the need for a new social contract between and within countries and nations. If the climate tipping points are caused by 400 years of extractive-colonial practices of industrial economies, as is broadly agreed, then a fossil-free world can only be forged with diversity, equity and inclusion among the guiding principles of the new social contract. Journalists are among the key interlocutors for enabling a new social consensus on these core principles, which can provide the will and resources to navigate the climatic curveballs being thrown at us with increasing frequency every day.
This articulation is also at the core of my personal thinking, which guides my actions and writings as a journalist, presently associated with Inside Climate News as a reporter covering stories about environmental harm and climate justice from across the United States. Originally from Pakistan, I have more than two decades of international journalism experience, which took me to five continents and many countries for academic and professional reasons. These cross-cultural encounters have exposed me to the world that can best be understood as a celebration of diversity, which has a definite pull on my thinking.
I believe these diverse cultural and professional experiences make me a suitable candidate to serve on the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) board and I am excited to bring my credentials to the table. As an experienced journalist, I have served in many roles — reporting from across the world, overseeing broadcast and digital content for the world-renowned news networks and presently producing investigative deep dives on polluting industries causing environmental and human harm. Graduate degrees in anthropology and political science have provided me with a diverse conceptual and methodological toolkit to critique and frame issues through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion.
My presence on the SEJ board will equip this premier organization to become more aware of its own cultural disposition, advocate for diversity within editorial and newsroom cultures, and energize efforts to bring more journalists of color within its fold. I am a multi-skilled journalist, adept at managing TV, radio and digital-first productions, which can be extremely useful in crafting a forward-looking outlook for SEJ's support programs for environmental journalism. I also have good experience in creating meaningful partnerships that can be an asset in advancing SEJ's mission and bringing new actors in its fold.
And just as importantly, serving as an SEJ board member would send a powerful message to journalists of color like myself who bring diverse experiences and energy to the trade day in and day out. If I am elected to serve on SEJ's board, I will leave no stone unturned in bringing my unfettered energy and dedication to elevate SEJ's status as a forward-looking and inclusive network known for bringing professional excellence, cross-cultural encounters and prestige to the field of environmental journalism.
Thank you for this opportunity.
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