Connecting Geographers to Sean Holman: Lessons from Trauma-Informed Climate Journalism

Sean Holman is a professor in climate journalism at the University of Victoria. They started their career in investigative journalism, but after experiencing the 2017 Calgary smoke event, their work took a different path.

“I was shocked at the news media’s lack of coverage of the climate connection between the fires, the smoke, and global warming and I wanted to do something about it”

The climate was not something at the forefront of Sean’s career in the beginning. Living in Calgary, extreme weather was not uncommon. Chinooks, hailstorms, and freezing winters dominate the area, but in 2017 a fire near the Alberta-British Columbia border resulted in 269 hours of smoke over Calgary, breaking the record set in 1969 (via Daily Hive Calgary). Despite these record setting events, news coverage on climate change was lacking according to Sean. This was not an isolated event but a result of climate change, and it was affecting their community. Sean’s goal became centering community stories and connecting climate disasters to the social and emotional effects felt by people.

“I come at this work from really the values of [a] humanitarian who is very concerned about the sort of impact that climate change is having on people”

Current communication of climate change focuses on data and trends, methods that are well understood by those engaged in the sciences. However, Sean argues that this way of presenting what is happening in our world does not work for a large portion of the population. Sean reframes the way of presenting climate change by focusing on the experiences of those affected by climate disasters through storytelling and engaging with trauma. As climate change worsens, disasters become more intense and frequent, and these events have real effects on people's lives. Whether it be resource shortages, evacuations, or the loss of friends and family members, the results of climate change go far beyond scientific data.

“I’m trying to reframe climate change from a global environmental future event to a local present humanitarian event”

Sean is a part of the Climate Disaster Project which focuses on the communication of climate change through a collection of testimonies from survivors of climate disasters. The project trains students in trauma-informed practice and testimony journalism in universities across British Columbia. Sean reflects on the importance of trauma informed practice, stating that these disasters are not just environmental events, they become trauma events. This is an angle not often considered in conversations about climate change. Sean considers their role as “reframing and recovering”, focusing on the lived experiences of those affected and advocating for diverse communication styles to display the emotional effects climate change has on communities.

“The future is already the present”

Working with those who have survived climate disasters gives Sean hope. By recognizing that climate change is not a theoretical future, we are able to decentre climate denialism. Sean reflects that, although scary, confronting climate change and understanding the immediacy of this issue is healthy. Without understanding the present real events that affect our communities, we are unable to work meaningfully to better futures that will in turn inspire hope. By reframing climate change in this way, we are better equipped to deal with it. The future is the present, and we can do something about it.    

Sean Holman (they/them) is the Wayne Crooks Professor in Environmental and Climate Journalism at the University of Victoria. Further information about the Climate Disaster Project can be found on their website. To get in contact with Sean Holman, they can be found on LinkedIn or by email at smholman@uvic.ca. They welcome opportunities to collaborate.

Mica Lynch is an undergraduate geography major with a special interest in journalism. Her goal is to inspire geographers at UVIC to become familiar with leading climate thinkers outside the department, fostering an interdisciplinary understanding climate change and activism. She is currently undertaking a directed study with Teresa Dawson, exploring improved communication around climate change issues and action.

You can reach Mica at m.lynch2003@outlook.com. She welcomes suggestions for new features in this series.

Mica Lynch © 2025