For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Contact: 

David Armiak, Research Director, Center for Media and Democracy, david@prwatch.org

James Browning, Communications Director, Global Energy Monitor, jamesabrowning@gmail.com

MADISON, WI – On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Global Energy Monitor (GEM) and the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) announce the launching of the GEM Wiki [3], a project closely allied with CMD’s SourceWatch [4], but with a focus on all things energy.

The GEM Wiki features thousands of pages of profiles of fossil fuel projects such as power plants, pipelines, terminals, and waste sites. Each wiki page is a footnoted online fact sheet that can develop over time, providing data such as size, ownership, location, developmental status, financing, protests, and alternatives. In addition, individual wiki pages provide maps and comprehensive data sets for trackers.

"Because of the global scope of the wiki, we're shooting for an audience that is more outside the U.S. than inside, and we expect that a small minority of the pages will be focused on the U.S. itself," said GEM's executive director and CMD board member Ted Nace. "We're planning to put as much of the content as possible in bilingual format, starting first this winter with Chinese and then over the summer putting all of our Latin American content into parallel pages -- either in Spanish or Portuguese."

"We are proud to help support the GEM Wiki in its exciting new phase, after years of hosting its critical content on SourceWatch," said Arn Pearson, CMD's executive director. "Its resources and tracking tools have become an important asset for activists, NGOs, journalists, and policymakers around the globe."

Like SourceWatch, GEM Wiki will link wiki pages to front-end websites such as the Global Coal Plant Tracker [5], the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker [6], and the Europe Gas Tracker [7]. Other trackers on coal mines, gas-fired power plants, and steel mills are under development.

James Browning serves as the GEM Wiki coordinator. He welcomes involvement in the site, including student interns and people looking to contribute to the climate movement without the need to leave home. This makes volunteering for GEM.wiki an ideal activity during the COVID-19 crisis. 

"We've been hosting "barn raisings" on Friday mornings, a great way for volunteers to learn about wiki research while helping us develop our wiki research," Browning said. "During the barn raisings, there's an open Zoom line so that volunteers can receive tips and ask questions from more experienced researchers while working together on climate-related projects."

Those interested can contact James at: jamesabrowning@gmail.com.

GEM.wiki is supported by grants from a number of foundations, as well as private donations.

Technical support is provided by WikiWorks.