Barcelona Forum on Atlantic Media and the Environment (FAME IX)

Sixteen journalists from Europe and the United States gathered in Barcelona in October, 2014, for the 9th meeting of the Forum on Atlantic Media and the Environment (FAME IX). It was the first FAME meeting to be held in Southern Europe. The Forum was organized jointly with the Green Building Council España (GBCe) in conjunction with the first World Sustainable Building Conference, also held in Barcelona. Caty Arevalo, a longtime FAME participant and a former Transatlantic Media Fellow, played an instrumental role in the conference's creation and execution.

FAME IX began with a day of discussions among the participants including audiovisual presentations by six journalists, three from the United States and three from Europe. As at past FAME gatherings, the discussions focused on the challenges facing environmental journalists on both sides of the Atlantic. Subjects addressed in the presentations included the international climate negotiations to be held in Paris and American hydraulic fracturing.

On the second day, FAME IX participants went on a field trip to the Ebro River Delta, approximately two hours South of Barcelona. They visited the Riet Vell Nature Reserve as part of a visit organized by SEO/BirdLife, a conservational and educational organization dedicated to the protection of wild birds and their habitats, as well as the promotion of environmentally friendly agricultural practices. Participants received briefings on local wildlife, the regression of the neighboring shoreline, and traditional, pollution-free agricultural practices.

Over the next three days, the journalists attending FAME IX attended the World Sustainable Building Conference. Several FAME participants moderated conference panels, and all received high-level briefings throughout the event from members of the sustainable building community, including the Director of the US Green Building Council, the Chief Architect of Barcelona, a representative from the UN Environment Programme, and an IMF representative.

FAME journalists published eleven pieces stemming from their activities in Barcelona. They agreed that information gained during the visit would continue to shape their future reporting, and their overall analyses of environmental issues.