NPR creates dedicated climate solutions reporting position

National Public Radio hired its first climate solutions reporter, Julia Simon, in late 2022, with a mandate “to give our audiences an understanding of the scientific, behavioral and policy solutions people are adopting to address the catastrophic consequences of climate change.” Neela Banerjee, who leads the climate desk at NPR, said that many factors led to the creation of the position, including learning about solutions journalism through SJN. NPR now is producing solutions-oriented climate coverage at the national and local levels, fostered by its collaborative of individual stations focusing on this topic. In October 2023, NPR dedicated a whole week of coverage to climate solutions. (Disclosure: The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which supports the climate solutions position at NPR, also has funded some of SJN’s climate work.)