Solar lights are an example of a community-based, equity-focused, scalable climate adaptation strategy. Credit: Abir Abdullah / Climate Visuals Countdown
In an ideal world, journalists would be leading a global conversation on how to solve climate change. They would highlight what works, keep politicians and businesses accountable, and point to ways that governments, organizations, communities, and individuals are responding. Not every climate story can or should be focused on the response, but many of them should be, and most of them aren’t.
We’re working to change. Here’s how.
Climate solutions journalism initiatives
We collaborate with and support both individual journalists and newsrooms in improving and growing the practice of rigorous, community-informed and equity-focused climate solutions journalism. We started this work in 2020 with our Business and Sustainability Initiative, and since then we’ve supported 30+ newsrooms, trained hundreds of journalists, and amplified the impact of countless solutions journalism stories.
We have two current initiatives. Our Climate Solutions Cohort includes 20 fellows from every corner of the U.S. and with a broad range of experience and diversity of voices. These individuals -- both freelancers and staff writers -- are honing not only their own practice but also the practice of climate solutions journalism. You can check out their work here. Our Climate Beacon Newsroom Initiative includes nine newsrooms, ranging from a hyper-local community outlet to a national environmental publication. What these news outlets have in common is a determination to transform their coverage of the climate crisis so that it regularly includes rigorously-reported stories about solutions. More on what they’re up to here.
We’re gearing up to launch new programs and initiatives in Fall 2023, so check back for updates this summer.
Climate solutions reporting guide
This new guide is a great resource for understanding how climate solutions journalism is truly beat agnostic. Published in partnership with Covering Climate Now.
Climate solutions primers
We’ve recently launched a Climate Primer series. These topic-driven panels feature experts sharing their knowledge and insights for climate journalists through a solutions lens. Our first Climate Primer was a three-part series focused on carbon dioxide removal: Holding Companies Accountable; The Power and Pitfalls of Carbon Dioxide Removal; and Nature-based Carbon Removal Methods. We’ll be posting video highlights of the series here soon.
Our second Climate Primer was on Climate Data and Frameworks for Solutions Reporting. More than 250 journalists from around the world signed up to hear from Climate Central’s Bernadette Woods Placky and Project Drawdown’s Jonathan Foley on how and why the media must shift the climate conversation toward what’s working — both locally and at scale. If you missed it, you can watch it here.
Our climate team
Fara Warner, director
Cheryl Dahle, initiative manager (climate cohort)
Katherine Noble, initiative manager (climate beacons)
